Bittersweet
by Juniper11
Summary: She stood between them and always would. Two brothers. One woman. A great love. Who knew love could be such a pleasure but bring so much pain? ItaSakuSasu.
1. Bitter Horizons

_Story:Bittersweet_

_Pairing: ItaSakuSasu_

_Genre: Romance/Family, AU, Nonmassacre_

_Rating: T_

_For: Everyone...myself included._

_**Chapter One**_

_**Horizon**_

Sakura opened her eyes to find herself draped across black satin sheets. Black, a color that she found suited him well. Dark, mysterious, unattainable and yet not because eventually you'll be enwrapped in darkness, like a few hours ago when she was enwrapped in his arms. She lay on her stomach with one arm bent above her head and the other at her side. The scent of smoke and sex filled the air and a small smile appeared upon her face as she recalled the previous night's heated encounter with the Uchiha heir. Her eyes scanned the room to discover that he was moving about, grabbing this and that.

"Where are you going?" Sakura asked drowsily, barely stifling a yawn.

The back that had been presented to her stayed that way. She watched as he pulled his unbound hair back into a pony tail and then proceeded to dress himself in his ANBU uniform. Suddenly the question that she had asked had been answered so she said nothing more, simply watching him prepare to leave. It amazed her that he made not a sound as he moved around the room. He was truly an exceptional ninja. It seemed his guard was always up. Sakura smiled to herself. Well, maybe not always.

He turned to her then and Sakura's heart stopped beating. His dark eyes smoldered dangerously as they raked over her body and Sakura shivered in response to the intense heat that was directed her way.

"Dawn is in two hours."

She immediately understood his words. It really wouldn't do for one of the members of his family to discover their nighttime activities, so Sakura sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her feet touched the ground and she shivered as the cold sensation overtook her. She padded quickly over to the shinobi preparing for his departure and stopped right before him. Sakura rose up on her toes and laid a gentle kiss on his neck. As she pulled away she looked up into his eyes to find him watching her sharply, and inwardly she shouted in joy. Outwardly, though, she turned and walked away from him, gathering her clothes and dressing.

In minutes she had completed her task--not as quietly as he had, but nevertheless she completed it. Sakura turned to face him then, her heart lodged in her throat. She longed to utter a, 'Be safe' or some other sweet nonsense, but he was not that type of man and so she kept her sweet words to herself and did what she could to show him how she truly felt about him.

"Come." He said and she walked silently behind him as he led her out of his dwelling place. This time she let her eyes roam over his body and soon focused on his ass. She found herself admiring the brilliance of the ANBU uniform, especially on a form as fine as his. She was one of the few people outside of his family who knew of his ANBU status and was glad of it.

The outside air soon hit her face as a gentle breeze ruffled her clothing. Darkness still blanketed the earth and yet the day felt bright and sunny to her already. She was hard pressed to bite back the grin that was threatening to erupt on her face. She knew there was bounce to her step and a swing in her hips that only came from being loved thoroughly and completely the night before.

It was rather amazing. She never expected in a million years to attract the attention of the enigmatic and aloof Uchiha Itachi. She had fallen in love with him such a long time ago--two years ago, really. It started with a simple thing--spilled files all over the hospital floor. He stopped to help her gather everything together, and she was shocked at his rather gentlemanly display. Honestly, it was a quality that she had never equated with Sasuke's older brother. Fierce--yes. Loyal--yes. Deadly--definitely. But a gentleman? It gave her pause and it was then that she realized she would probably have to re-categorize him in her mind. She began to study him after that. In time she found that he was a man worthy of devotion, worthy of love--her love.

At such a realization Sakura found herself in a bit of a bind. The village was lined with women who were dying to get Uchiha Itachi's attention for just a second. The thought of the such a problem was enough to make her keep him in her fantasies. She was unwilling to make a fool over herself because of a man. Besides, she was busy enough with her work as it was.

At least, that's what she told herself.

Until that night she found him standing on top of the Hokage mountain looking down over the village. She would often go there and watch the village at night. It seemed so calm and serene then. It gave her time to unwind before she settled into her bed, but that night he was there before her. She watched him for a moment, noting how still and stone-like he was. He reminded her of the fabled Shadow People, who were said to be the embodiment of the shadows themselves, undetected and deadly. She meant to leave quietly so as not to disturb him, but he was too skilled to have not noticed her presence. She had only taken a step when he issued the command,

"Stay."

And she did. She sat gingerly by his side, and as one thing led to another they found themselves making love atop the head of the Third.

It began to happen more and more, but this was the very first time he'd taken her to his home. She'd been to the Uchiha Manor before, with Sasuke. However, this was new; more special because Itachi rarely shared anything with anyone, least of all herself.

He reached out a hand to stop her from moving forward. "Haruno."

Sakura felt her mood dampen a bit. He had never called her anything but Haruno. Not even once in the throes of ecstasy did he utter a single 'Sakura'. How she longed to just once hear him say her name. It would be the simplest of gifts, but it would be best one. She turned to him, awaiting his words like a dog might wait for its master's command.

"This thing between us--" Sakura felt her eyes soften as he sought to put a definition on what they had. It had to be difficult because she knew he wasn't a man inclined towards words. She almost stopped him from saying it, because she didn't need the words. All she wanted was him…and for him to say her name. But she didn't and in the end she was glad she said nothing. "--is just sex." Sakura felt her blood run cold at his declaration. A few seconds passed with her feeling like an utter fool. She felt angry and confused, used and dirty. She had the intense urge to find a shower, turn on the hot water, and let its scalding touch scrub her clean. Although she was certain that she never would be. "I will marry the woman that my clan chooses for me."

"And in the meantime you'll have your fun with me." Sakura finished, keeping her voice matter of fact and not showing a hint of the bitterness that welled up within her at the man's words. "I understand."

"Do you?" He asked. Sakura could feel his eyes searching her countenance for the truth in her words, but her face was carefully masked. She would not allow him to see the emotion that dwelled within her. No, he had no right to see the pain that he had unwittingly invoked upon her person.

She presented Itachi with a serene smile. "Is that not what I said?"

He gave a curt nod, satisfied that she understood how things were going to be.

"Fine. I will see you when I return."

"No…you will not."

"You said you understood." His eyes narrowed on her and his voice was cold. She heard him use that tone of voice before when he was displeased with one of his subordinates, but she had never heard that voice directed at her. It was disconcerting. Nevertheless, she would not be swayed.

"And I do. I don't need many words to inform me of when I've been used. So we'll just end it like this. We had a good night and several more before it. I won't look on this in bitterness and you will find someone to take my place."

"I have no desire for someone to take your place. That was not the point."

"Perhaps it wasn't the point, but it is the end result." Sakura's matter of fact tone did not sit well with Uchiha Itachi. So abruptly he decided to end the conversation.

"I'm leaving." He said, turning away from her and washing his hands of her words. "And you will be waiting for me when I return."

"No." Sakura said, and then paused. "I will not."

Then she turned away as well. Her steps were unhurried and her back was straight. To anyone who saw her from behind they would think she was just a woman taking a casual stroll as the sun rose in the horizon. However, to those who saw her face--the tear stained cheeks were a giveaway that her heart had just been broken.

* * *

_**Now & Again**_

_You're a fool_

_Despicable even_

_You tore out my heart_

_And couldn't care less why I'm leavin'_

_But it's okay_

_That's just the way it goes_

_I may seem foolish to you_

_But I'm wise enough to know..._

_How the dice rolls_

_Every now and again_

_I wonder what I saw in you_

_Did you woo me with that aloof demeanor?_

_Or did I reek of a flighty dreamer?_

_Making myself easy prey..._

_Either way_

_I'm done with you_

_As of today._

_--By Juniper11-- written 1/23/10_

_**AN: My thanks to BlueArcticWolf for going over this for me.**_

**_You should be happy to know that this will be the last multichaptered fic that I'm going to start. (Scouts honor!) Although I can say nothing about one shots.... _**

**_Just know that I'm working on my writing. I'm not stuck on anything and it is my goal to update _something _at least once a week from now on. _**

**_Thanks for reading._**


	2. Sweet Resolution

_Title: Bittersweet_

_Genre: AU-Nonmassacre, Family/Romance_

_Rating: T_

_Pairing:ItaSakuSasu_

_Naruto: Disclaimed_

* * *

_**Chapter Two**_

_**Resolve**_

* * *

"Sakura seems different. Don't you think?" Kakashi asked casually as he walked with Naruto and Sasuke to Ichiraiku. His head was buried in his latest book, Icha Icha Madness. He had been reading it for two days straight which was an annoying occurrence--especially during training. Silently, Sasuke was hoping that one day he would fall while reading that smut in public.

"Aa." Sasuke agreed. He had noticed something off about her during training. It was like she had lost all focus, which was unlike her. He'd even been able to let his guard down while battling her since it was like fighting a child. Not only that, but he had to hold back severely in fear that he would accidentally kill her. The whole session had been meaningless. It would have been better if he had just placed his hand upon her forehead and let her swing aimlessly at him like a little child unable to reach him--at least he would have been amused.

Naruto scratched the back of his head, thinking. "Unhappy, may be a better word," he said, frowning as he thought of their medic comrade.

"Unhappy," Kakashi said slowly, "Why would she be unhappy?" Kakashi glanced at Sasuke. "You two aren't dating again, are you?"

Sasuke glared at his former teacher while Naruto laughed. "As if Sakura would let him anywhere near her after what he did last time."

Kakashi looked at the dark haired male, intrigued. He had heard the couple had broken up years ago, but he never knew the circumstances. Actually, he never thought to ask since they had no problem working together afterwards. If anything, they worked better together after their breakup, so he assumed that it was for the best. Still, now that Naruto brought it up he was curious.

"What did he do?"

"He told Sakura that he wanted to date other people…while he was dating her."

A snicker escaped Kakashi's lips, and then he broke out into full fledged laughter causing Naruto to join him. Kakashi choked out, "And they call you a genius."

"You're both assholes." Sasuke ground out.

"That's funny." Naruto said between bouts of choked laughter, "That's exactly what Sakura called you."

Kakashi had to stop walking at that point his book had slipped from between his fingertips and landed on the ground in a soft thud. He was laughing too hard to keep going or to realize his actions. They were drawing attention from passersby, but at the moment he couldn't find it in himself to care.

"I'm leaving you both," Sasuke huffed, walking off with stiffened legs and wondering why he even put up with their foolishness.

Eventually the two composed themselves and followed him, their thoughts sobering as they pondered the cause of Sakura's unhappiness.

"Is she dating?" Sasuke asked, silently daring them to make some sort of comment on his prior relationship with her.

"If she was…wouldn't she tell us?" Kakashi muttered, not seeing the disbelieving stares from him teammates as he looked down to put away the novel he had retrieved earlier. If she were dating, they were the _last _people she'd tell. They all tended to be a bit overprotective of her and it annoyed her to no end. She had told them multiple times that she could take care of herself--which they knew wasn't true. Well, on the battlefield it was true. They had all breathed a sigh of relief when she had shown the results of her training under the Godaime. However, when it came to her heart she still tended to be a bit too foolish for their tastes. Take for instance the guy she dated shortly after she and Sasuke had called it quits.

Kakashi frowned, trying to think of his name. What was it again? He smiled once the name came to him. It was Dick Smalpenus. He had to have been one of the worst shinobi that Kakashi had ever encountered. To this day The Copy Ninja wondered how he had graduated from the academy--better yet he wondered how he was still alive. Granted the guy hadn't reached jounin status, but that was enough reason _not _to date him. Not according to Sakura, however.

_Flashback:_

"_You need to stop dating him. He's been a Chunnin for twenty years." Kakashi towered over Sakura in a manner that was supposed to be intimidating, but was just…not. _

"_Stop exaggerating! That's no reason not to date him. Not everyone passes the first time."_

"_That's true. But he didn't pass the first, the second, third or even the forth time. He sucks at life."_

_Sakura's eyes flashed with anger. She took a step forward, poking Kakashi in the chest. He supposed it was her turn to be intimidating, but just like she wouldn't back down neither would he._

"_You have no say in whom I date or when I date them. You're not my father."_

"_You're right. I'm not your father because if I were you wouldn't be dating that jerk. Look at his name, Sakura. Do you really want to be Mrs. Smalpenus?"_

_Sakura stared at Kakashi, trying to keep her face from showing the grin that was threatening to erupt. It was a losing battle because in the end, they both couldn't stop the gales of giggles. After a while Sakura wiped a tear from her eye as she finally composed herself. _

"_Don't talk about his name. He's not from around here."_

"_Obviously not. Konoha doesn't breed suck ninjas."_

"_Stop it. That's not nice." If Sakura could have seen his face she would have known that he didn't care one whit about being nice or not._

"_Just wait until Naruto and Sasuke find out." Sakura's nose scrunched up at the mention of Sasuke's name. The two had gone on a mission and were currently missing out on Sakura's new love interest. _

"_They don't need to find out." Sakura gave Kakashi a warning look. _

"_Oh, they're going to find out."_

"_You're being unnecessarily overprotective."_

"_Yes, because you're dating a man who won't be able to protect you. You need a strong man at your side, not some--"_

"_Kaka-sensei, you make it seem like I'm going to marry the guy."_

_Kakashi looked at Sakura, suddenly confused. "Isn't that what girls aim for?"_

"_Usually, but Dick is my rebound guy. It's not going to work out regardless."_

"_But why date him if--"_

"_He has other skills that are extremely….useful." Sakura then began thrusting her pelvis forward in a move that Kakashi found traumatizing. He fled the scene, but not before he heard Sakura mutter, "I thought that would send him packing."_

_End Flashback_

Still, in the end he had gotten rid of Dick and all the other losers that gravitated towards their favorite girl. He had also encouraged the relationships that she had with guys that had met his approval, but the fact was she was still alone.

It was something that they didn't quite understand. She was smart, beautiful, and amusing. She was a powerful kunoichi in her own right not to mention she was on one the most powerful teams in the village--not that it had much to do with anything, but it was true.

Who wouldn't want her or rather who didn't?

Still, they never dwelled too much on it. Better alone than with a loser he had said, but sometimes women don't quite see it that way. Was Sakura among those women? Was that the source of her unhappiness?

"Should we talk to her?" Kakashi asked tentatively. He didn't really want to have a heart to heart with Sakura. Talking wasn't his thing, especially not with her. Teasing-- he did that well. Fighting--he did that even better. But talking was best left to someone who had conversational skills. Hence, he looked at Naruto, the best out of the three of them, but before he could suggest that he go talk to her Sasuke spoke up.

"I'll go talk to her."

The duo stared at Sasuke in unadulterated surprise. They had never heard Sasuke offer to go speak…to anyone. Was this a premonition of the world's end? Kakashi glanced briefly up at the sky to make sure it wasn't falling.

It wasn't.

"Now, Sasuke," Kakashi began. "We all know how riled up Sakura gets when trying to have a conversation with you. Perhaps it would be better to let Naruto--"

"I said I'll do it."

No note of compromise could be heard in his voice. Kakashi sighed, wondering what got his hackles raised. Naruto and Kakashi exchanged a glance. Naruto just shrugged, showing that he trusted Sasuke's judgment. Kakashi bit back an exasperated sound. Naruto almost always sided with Sasuke these days, and when the Uchiha screwed everything up even worse, Kakashi and Naruto would have a mess to clean up later. Kakashi sighed. His day just went down the drain.

:::

:::

"What did you do this time?" Sakura asked as she opened her door and allowed Sasuke entrance into her apartment. Sakura's eyes searched his body for any injuries that may have been afflicted upon his person since the last time she had saw him but found none. Sasuke tossed her a sullen look, but Sakura only folded her arms across her chest, watching him expectantly knowing something had to have happened for him to show up unannounced.

"There has to be a reason for me to come visit you?"

"Yes." Sasuke scowled and Sakura chuckled in response. "Come on in, Sasuke." Sakura stepped aside as he slunk forward. He followed her into her living room and watched as she lay on her side on the sofa. At her inquisitive look his mind flooded with words as he tried to find the best way to tell her what was on his mind…_their _minds.

"We're worried." Sasuke finally settled on letting her fill in the missing gaps.

"Ah." Sakura said, suddenly understanding. Of course they were worried. She had never been able to hide much from them, seeming as though they were the closest people to her in the world. She sat up slowly, tucking her legs beneath her and not quite looking Sasuke in the eye. "And they sent you? Why didn't Naruto come?"

"I said that I would come."

Sakura stared at Sasuke, startled. "You came to comfort me?" She asked cautiously, wondering what exactly was he up to. Sasuke and comfort just didn't go together. Not even when they had dated.

"You know I'm not good at this whole comfort thing. Just tell me who I need to kill and I'll take care of it."

Sakura bit back a chuckle. The tension that resided within her immediately began to ease at the Sasuke-like comment. Sakura placed her hands on her hips and gave him an exasperated smile. "Sasuke, you can't just go around killing people because they make me sad."

"Why not?"

Sakura did laugh that time and Sasuke smirked in response. However, her laughter soon dissolved into tears and Sasuke found himself at a loss as to what to do. She curled herself up into a ball before him and wailed. He approached her hesitantly, patting her shoulder awkwardly until her sobs subsided. Once they had he sat on the floor beside her sofa presenting her with his back. It was only seconds before her fingers found their way into his hair just as he knew they would. She ran her fingers through it constantly until her heart rate slowed and she was calm once more.

"Feel better?" He asked after some time had passed.

"Yeah, I'm glad you came instead of Naruto." Sasuke just grunted in response as she continued to thread her fingers through his hair. The crazy girl loved running her fingers through his hair. She once said some inane comment about it being surprisingly silky. Running her fingers through it calmed her. He told her once she reminded him of a monkey, thinking of having seen one of the creatures doing the same thing to another, but Sakura took it badly and nearly yanked a chunk of his amazingly silk locks from his head. He was careful from then on with his words when she had her hands on him.

"Sasuke…I'm pregnant." Sasuke's heart stopped beating. This was not what he had expected. He had expected tears for some guy who was in no way worthy of her, or perhaps to hear some complaints about work and how it was stressing her out, but a child? No, he had not expected that. "I'm going to have an abortion." And then her tears began to flow once more.

He would never be able to explain why he did it, maybe it was instinct or some other primal urge, but Sasuke grabbed Sakura and pulled her into his lap, holding her close. She cried out his name over and over again and he held her tighter in his arms. Something inside him broke to hear her calling out his name so desperately and brokenly. Maybe it was that broken sound that pulled forward the idea that began to form in his head, one that he did not at all find distasteful. In fact, pleasure began to unfurl in his chest at just the thought.

Soon Sakura's sobs subsided once more. He brushed strands of hair out of her face, taking in her red, puffy eyes, her downward turned lips, and the splotches on her cheeks.

"You're ugly as hell when you cry."

Sakura began struggling in his arms, hitting him and cursing his insensitivity. He smirked and grabbed her arms before she could inflict any damage. She raised her eyes and stared into his defiantly and he was glad to see that this situation hadn't completely killed the spark within her. "Why do you want an abortion?" Sakura looked away from him then, but he released her arms and turned her head back towards him. "Answer me, Sakura."

"I don't." Sasuke frowned at such a contradictory answer.

"Then why would you even suggest it?"

"Because it's the logical thing to do."

"And when did you start being logical?" Sakura hit him and that time he let her. He was too concerned with her leap of judgment to stop her otherwise. "Who's the father?"

"It doesn't matter. It's over and done with."

"It does matter."

"No. It doesn't. Why would a baby matter to him when I don't even matter?" At her belligerent tone he knew that there was more to this story than she was telling him.

"Who. Is. He?" Not bothering to try to reason with her.

"None. Of. Your. Business."

"If you weren't pregnant--" Sasuke growled threateningly.

"Whatever." Sakura sniffed, cutting him off while knowing he would never deliberately harm her. He'd cut off one of his own arms first.

They sat in a silence that was surprisingly companionable given her earlier statement. Every now and then Sasuke would say some quirky comment that got Sakura all riled up and ready to fight and later on she would cry and grieve for the child that was not yet gone. All the while she stayed wrapped securely in Sasuke's embrace.

"Marry me, Sakura." He had thought it through and found that he would be satisfied with such an arrangement. Sakura, as his wife…yes.

"What?!"

"Tch." He didn't know why she was so surprised by his suggestion. It made complete and perfect sense to him. Then again…Sakura always had been a little slow to get the whole picture. A smirk formed on his lips until Sakura spoke up once more.

"Sasuke, you can't just go around proposing to people." Sasuke rolled his eyes as Sakura wagged her finger in his face.

"I can do whatever I want." Sakura's lips curled in distaste. She was certain he meant those words, and if he didn't he said them just to annoy her.

"No…you can't."

"Yes, I can. The fact of the matter is that you don't want to raise your baby on your own. Am I right?" Sakura bit her bottom lip not willing to admit that fear out loud. She had always thought that when she became pregnant with her first child that she would be married to a man she loved more than life. She never expected that said man would turn her away before she even had the opportunity to confess to him. "You're frightened and you feel alone. But you're not alone, Sakura. You're here with me right now. Say the word and you can be with me always. Marry me."

"No." She shook her head from side to side, her hair flying wildly, some strands smacking his face. His eyes closed and he scrunched up his nose in exasperation.

"Sakura--"

"No. I'm not some mess you have to clean up."

"Sakura--don't be stupid."

"I could say the same to you."

"Marry me," Sasuke continued on doggedly.

"No! Why would you even suggest such a thing?"

"…because it's what I want."

Sakura's eyes flew to his face, suddenly realizing he was serious. She made a move to remove herself from his embrace, but he only tightened his arms around her, unwilling to let her go. It never occurred to her that she should continue to struggle. Instead, she ceased her actions and continued to try to peacefully reason with Sasuke.

"Sasuke--"

"This is right, Sakura. You with me. It's _right._"

"If you felt this way why the hell did you ask to date other people back then?"

"I was young. Besides, I never said I wanted to break up with you."

"Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't."

"Sasuke seeing other people is the same as breaking up to me."

"Not to me."

"You're an ass."

"And you're annoying. Things even out. Marry me."

Sakura's mouth opened but no sound came out. She foolishly tried to figure out how being an ass equaled being annoying. She shook the thought off, realizing that Sasuke was just insane. "No. Don't you realize I'm carrying another man's child?" At his blank stare Sakura continued with her reasoning, desperate to make him understand. "We haven't been together in years. I don't even love you like that anymore."

"It's not another man's child. It's our child now. And so what? You know no one's going to care for you the way I do--" Sakura snorted. His arrogance knew no bounds. "And if you didn't care for me just a tiny bit then you wouldn't put up this much of a fuss."

"This is insane."

"But you're thinking about it."

"I am not!"

"Marry me."

"You're taking advantage of me when I'm in an emotional state!"

"So?"

"So, I can't just make a decision like this without thinking it through."

"So you _are _thinking about it."

Sakura gave Sasuke a dirty look. "Your clan won't let you marry me." Her mind drifted to a few of Itachi's final words. His clan would chose the woman he married. Why would it be any different for Sasuke?

"Are you serious? My clan gave up on me back when we failed the Chuunin exams. I'm no longer involved in clan business."

"Are you serious?" Sakura blinked owlishly at Sasuke. That seemed like such a ridiculous reason to exclude him from the clan. There had to be more to it that he wasn't telling her about. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"It wasn't important."

Sakura frowned. Her idea of important and Sasuke's differed greatly, but that had always been the case so she wasn't sure why she was surprised.

"Sasuke, your family won't be happy regardless about you marrying a woman who is pregnant with someone else's child. I can't put you in that position."

"You don't listen. I said that this--" Sasuke placed his hand on Sakura's stomach. "Is our child. I dare someone to contradict me."

"But the father--"

"Is unimportant."

"Sasuke, you need to know--"

"Marry me."

"Sasu--"

"Marry me."

"…" It was in that moment that she wished she had told him who the father was when he had asked. This is what happens when you're a stubborn woman dealing with a stubborn man.

"Marry me."

"I can't."

"You will."

* * *

_My thanks to BlueArcticWolf._


	3. Stay the Night

_Title: Bittersweet_

_Rating: T_

_Pairing: ItaSakuSasu_

_Genre: AU, Non-Massacre, Family/Romance_

_Naruto: Disclaimed_

* * *

_**Chapter Three **_

**_Stay the Night_**

* * *

The previous night had to be a dream. The thought of Sasuke proposing to her was simply preposterous. Sakura's brow furrowed in consternation. Why would he do such a foolish thing? And yet...she had to admit she was somewhat moved by his actions. Still, she didn't love Sasuke--not in the way that was required to make a marriage work. Not only that--she had a child to think of. The child whose life was inadvertently saved by its Uncle. No, she wasn't ready for a baby, but she wasn't opposed to being a mother. She loved children. It was just that the circumstances of its conception were less than ideal. Sakura held back the tears that threatened to form in her eyes. She really had no time for such things. She had to find Itachi. She needed to tell him about the unexpected addition to the Uchiha clan. Sakura frowned at the thought of telling him. She didn't know what she actually hoped to accomplish by telling him this bit of unexpected news, but she knew telling him was the right thing to do.

So that was how she found herself outside the training grounds watching Itachi practice taijutsu with Shisui. They were phenomenal in their movements. It was almost like watching a dance of some sort. She wasn't sure how long she watched them, thinking that Itachi struck and hit and moved with all the grace of a wolf or a hawk. She smacked herself mentally as she realized where her thoughts were leading her.

Mooning over him would not help.

"Sakura!" Sakura smiled, realizing that she had caught Shisui's attention. She beckoned him to come closer, and he immediately approached her with Itachi following behind him. Shisui threw an arm over her shoulder. "How's my favorite medic?"

"She's fine now that she's seen you."

Shisui chuckled at Sakura's flirty antics. "And to what do we owe the honor of your presence?"

"Actually, I was hoping I could steal Itachi away from you for a few moments. Do you mind?"

He moved away from her then, his eyes narrowing on her small form. "Ah, so you were just buttering me up earlier because you wanted to steal my partner."

"Like bread, baby." Sakura replied, completely unrepentant.

Shisui laughed once more and ruffled Sakura's hair. She swatted at his hand, but to no avail. She was certain she now looked like a deranged chicken. She made a vain attempt to put her hair back into some semblance of order while Shisui walked away, leaving the two in an awkward silence. Itachi said nothing, only stared at her intently. It made her uncomfortable and yet she really couldn't help but compare her situation with Itachi to the one with Sasuke. Yes, there were differences--there was a child involved but still, when things ended with Sasuke things were awkward; there was no long lasting malice or ill will on either of their sides. However, just looking at Itachi made her want rip his beautiful hair out from the roots.

"Talk." He finally said, breaking the silence. Sakura sighed softly, shaking herself out of her thoughts and focusing on the moment at hand.

"Look, there's something I need to tell you."

"I have no time for foolish love confessions."

Sakura blinked at his cold, indifferent tone. She wished momentarily that it had been harsh because it would have been so easy to use that harsh tone to drape herself in her righteous anger. As it was she could only build up a modicum of irritation. Seriously though, a love confession? Why on earth would she do something like that when she had been so plainly rejected? Did he honestly think that she would debase herself in such a manner? Looking into his eyes she could tell that, yes he fully believed that such was the case.

"Itachi--" Sakura broke off with a shake of her head. There was no use talking to him. Not when every word he uttered did nothing but tear at her heart callously. So Sakura turned and walked away, leaving the Uchiha to stare at her retreating form thoughtfully.

:::

:::

"You're looking rather pissy today." Sasuke fell into step beside Sakura when he saw her looking like evil incarnate.

"Sasuke, now is not the time."

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked, immediately concerned that while her voice was hardened in anger it was also edged with tears.

"Nothing."

"Liar."

"It's none of your business! Just go away!"

"No."

"Sasuke, please."

"Why do you want me to leave when it's so obvious you don't need to be alone?"

Sakura's bottom lip trembled as she answered his question. She raised her head to look into his eyes, hers brimming with tears. "Because I don't want you to see me cry again."

Sasuke stared at her hard a moment before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. She allowed it but she didn't know why. It would be foolish to encourage him. He would only take it as a sign that she was close to accepting his proposal.

"Don't be stupid. I already know how ugly you are when you cry."

"You're an ass, Sasuke."

"So you keep telling me. Perhaps you should find a new adjective. Like...wonderful." Sakura hit him on his chest and he ignored it as if it were of no consequence. "Marry me."

"I've already said no. Stop asking."

"Saying no just requires me to ask again." He spoke to her as if he were explaining a very simple matter to a small child. In essence, like she was an idiot. "Once you say yes, I'll stop."

Sakura rolled her eyes her earlier problems with Itachi long forgotten. "Sasuke, you're no knight in shining armor. Stop pretending to be. We broke up. It's over. It's done. I can't marry you."

"You're right. My armor is tarnished, but that doesn't mean that this knight won't serve only you. So why can't you marry me?"

Sakura's heart began hammering madly at his words. How was it that he could say such sweet words so casually as if they had no bearing on anything? This is why it had hurt so much when things ended before. Everything he said to her in the past became null and void. She had become numb for so long and she just couldn't do this again. "Because I don't love you." She said softly. Sasuke flinched so subtly that Sakura didn't catch it.

"People have married before that didn't love each other. And you know what?" At the answering silence he continued. "They had happy marriages."

Sakura bit her bottom lip and looked at anything but Sasuke. "That wouldn't be us."

"Who knew you could be such a pessimist?"

"I'm not a pessimist. I'm a realist. The glass isn't half empty nor is it half full, but it does have liquor in it and I need a shot."

Sasuke stopped their progress and looked down at Sakura, barely masking his incredulity. The thought of her drinking at a time like this sent chills down his spine. He didn't think that she was so stressed out about this situation to do something _that_ stupid. Still, it didn't hurt to take precautions. "You don't need to be alone tonight. You can stay with me."

"I'm not staying there." The thought of staying in the Uchiha compound once would have filled her with glee, but now the thought of being that close to _him _made her stomach churn.

Rather than bicker, Sasuke just countered her. "Fine, I'm staying at your place tonight."

She wanted to argue, but one look at Sasuke's face told her that it's best to pick and choose your battles and this one was not one she would win. Unfortunately, she found she was unable to stop herself.

"If you don't want me to be alone then I'll just go stay with Kakashi or Naruto."

"Oh, that's fine with me. While you're there why don't you tell them you're pregnant. They won't be as nice about you not giving the name of the father as I am."

He was right, but she wasn't going to focus on that. The point of all this was to get rid of Sasuke. "I'll just tell them you're the father since you're so anxious to be one. They can kill you in his stead."

Unwisely, Sasuke began to view her reticence about revealing the father's name as Sakura's way of protecting the guy from them. Surely that meant that Sakura cared for the guy more than a little. It was a thought that didn't sit well with him. In fact, he was beginning to think that he was better off not knowing who they guy was. "Sakura…are you in love with him?" The words slipped out before he had thought about them. It was a question he really didn't want an answer to. Some things were better left in the dark, dank corners of her mind and heart.

Sakura's mouth hung agape at the question that came out of left field. She stared into Sasuke's eyes as he awaited a response.

"I…"

"If you're in love with him then that's fine. If you don't love me that's fine too, but don't turn me away because you're wishing for the impossible. You say you're a realist then know that I will not retract my proposal. I _do_ want you as my wife. I will _not_ accept no for an answer. I will pursue you until you say yes and I will take care of you even though you have said no. What I'm offering you is real if you will just accept it."

"People will make assumptions if you continue--"

"Let them assume. It's none of their business anyway."

Sakura turned from him and began walking away. When he made an attempt to join her she stopped him with mere words.

"You should go home…and get some clothes if you plan to stay the night."

And he did.


	4. Sweet Surrender

_Story: Bittersweet_

_Genre: Romance/Family_

_Rating: T_

_Pairing: ItaSakuSasu_

* * *

_**Chapter Four**_

_**Okay**_

* * *

Sakura watched Sasuke covertly as he placed his belongings in her bedroom. It had been quite some time since he had spent more than an hour or so in her apartment. It felt weird--to her at least. Sasuke didn't look the least bit unruffled. Once she had thought nothing fazed him, but she had learned better than that the day she broke up with him. He had been surprised, although she had no idea why, when she ended things with him.

Still, he seemed to be making himself at home as if the break up had never occurred. To her it looked like he had brought a lot more than a single night's worth of clothing. If she didn't know better she'd say that he was secretly moving in, but she knew Sasuke-- if he was going to move in he'd just say it. No covert actions. No beating around the bush. Just a blunt--

"I'm moving in."

"Excuse me?" Sakura frowned, certain that she had heard him wrong. Although, his next words proved that she didn't need to see a medic about a hearing condition.

"You don't need to be alone in your condition."

"Sasuke, I'm just pregnant. I don't have some sort of life threatening disease. I'll be fine on my own. Besides, I haven't even definitely decided that I'm going to--" Sasuke gave her a look that had her halting over her words. She looked away from him not bothering to finish her statement. Instead, she tried switching tactics. "This is my home. You can't just move in of your own initiative. Honestly, Sasuke you have no right."

"What's wrong with me living my fiancé?"

"…" Sasuke gave her a self-satisfied smirk, which was wiped clean off his face once she uttered her next words. "I'm telling." He began to shift uncomfortably, telling her that her words had the desired effect. He was uneasy. Hanging the threat of Naruto and Kakashi over his head had that effect. It wasn't that he was afraid of them--he wasn't. He was an Uchiha, faster than lightning and just as powerful. However, taking them both on in a fight was not the wisest course of action, especially when they were pissed.

"Stop being childish, Sakura." Sakura stuck her tongue out at Sasuke. "I will bite it off." To which Sakura replied to by sticking her tongue out once more. Before Sakura could tuck her tongue back into the safety of her mouth Sasuke appeared before her. Startled, she let out a yelp and tried to run, but Sasuke's arm snaked out and wrapped around her waist. He tugged her closer to him and she was certain her eyes were large as saucers.

"Sasuke what are you--"

Her words were cut off by his lips pressing gently against hers. Stiff and unyielding she didn't respond at first, but Sasuke knew her. He knew exactly what to do to turn her into a mound of goop at his feet, and his execution was flawless. It seemed he hadn't lost his touch. Unfortunately, so wrapped up in each other, they failed to realize that their kiss took place in plain view of a window. The infamous kiss that should have been a private moment was witnessed by someone who was surprised that it had taken place.

Sasuke pulled away from Sakura and issued a warning. "Keep your tongue in your mouth…unless you want mine in yours." Sakura nodded dazed. Noticing that she hadn't fully snapped back to attention Sasuke silently patted himself on the back then attacked. "Marry me." Sakura nodded once more and an uncharacteristic grin stretched across Sasuke's lips as he wondered how long it would take before she realized she had agreed to marry him.

:::

It only took an hour; Sasuke noted when he heard her shrilly scream his name from her bedroom. He didn't bother replying, knowing that she would seek him out of her own initiative. She found him in the kitchen…cooking. The wind was taken out of her sails once she saw Sasuke doing something…domestic. She had never seen him cook before--ever. This was something that didn't fit in with the enigmatic shinobi that was Uchiha Sasuke. It threw her off balance a bit. Well, more than a bit. She couldn't remember why she had stormed into the kitchen in the first place.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke tossed her a look and asked,

"Are you stupid? What does it look like I'm doing?" Sakura blushed turning her head to hide her face.

"You know what I mean."

"If I knew then I wouldn't be looking at you like the nut you are."

Sakura began to grind her teeth. "You sure know how to woo a woman."

"It's a special Uchiha talent," Sasuke replied. Sakura paled at his words and closed her eyes as the room began to spin slightly. She must have wobbled or something because she felt Sasuke's hand on her arm steadying her. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes." Sasuke wrapped his arm around her waist and led her to a chair in the kitchen. Once Sakura was safely seated, Sasuke moved away to grab her a glass of water. He sat it in front of her hand and waited expectantly for her to drink it. She wasn't sure what the water was supposed to do, but she decided to drink, knowing he would harass her until she did.

"Still think it's not a good idea for me to be here?" Sasuke asked as she brought the glass to her lips. She took a sip and then slammed the glass down onto the table. Water sloshed over her hand unnoticed since her mind was solely focused on her irritation.

"You know Sasuke, nobody likes to hear 'I told you so'." He said nothing in reply to her statement. Instead, he turned and continued to make dinner.

"Have you spoken to the Hokage about your condition?"

"No." Sasuke turned and looked at her. His eyes bore into hers searchingly. He had fully settled into his role as her husband-to-be, and quite liked bossing her around.

"When do you plan to?"

"I--" She hadn't really thought about it. Just trying to get from one day to the next was difficult enough as it was. It wasn't a discussion that she looked forward to because Tsunade would demand answers. These were the kind of 'answers' that she didn't want to give anyone.

"You should do it soon. She might try to send you on a mission, which right now wouldn't be a good idea. I'm still a little irritated with you for training with us. What if something happened to you or to my son?" She saw that special gleam in his eye, one that said he looked forward to teaching a child to throw a kunai and breathe fire. She smiled until her mind processed his words.

"Son? What is it with you men? Even men that come to the hospital when their pregnant significant other get their chests puffed all out about boys. Why the hell does it have to be a boy? It could be a girl, you know."

"It could be, but it's not." That damn Uchiha pride. He was probably right, too.

"And why not?"

"Because I said so." Sasuke answered, pushing a plate of food in front of her.

"You're an ass, Sasuke." A hint of a smile played on her lips and she looked up into his eyes, softening her words. "Thank you." Her softly spoken words did not go unheard of by her 'unwanted' roommate. Sasuke grunted in response.

:::

:::

Naruto looked back and forth between Sasuke and Sakura. Somehow, they seemed different. It reminded him of when they were together. Sasuke was standing at her side rather possessively and Sakura was busy scowling and trying to inch away from him, but not really wanting to. They watched each other out of the corner of their eyes. Sakura's every movement was careful and cautious, as if she were waiting for Sasuke to do or say something that she found disagreeable. In short, she looked like she was prey about to be pounced on by a predator. Naruto figured their whole courtship gig must be back in full swing again. He could hear the screaming and yelling now.

"What's going on with you two?" Naruto asked, not one to beat around the bush.

Sasuke stared at him impassively while Sakura avoided eye contact. That in of itself told him something. The only time Sakura didn't keep eye contact was when she was hiding something, or when she had done something wrong. Typically, it was a combination of the two. Naruto's eyes narrowed suspiciously on the pair before him.

"What happened?" He questioned once more, this time more firmly, demanding an answer.

"Go ahead and tell him Sakura. He's just going to annoy you until you do," Sasuke said, placing his hand on the small of Sakura's back. This relaxed her, though she didn't realize it.

"Naruto…" She hesitated for a second, but she knew she was going to have to tell him anyway so she took a deep breath and said, "I'm--"

"Getting married." Sasuke finished. Sakura's eyes grew round and large. Those were not the words she was going to utter. Her eyes snapped to Sasuke, who pulled her a little closer to his side and looked down at her. His lips held a small smirk, but his eyes were filled with a challenge that dared her to contradict him. Sakura swallowed audibly but refused to be cowed.

"No…we're not." A visual battle ensued between the two, although neither was certain as to who the winner would be.

Naruto looked back and forth between the two of them, confused. Were they getting married or weren't they? "When did you two start dating again?"

Sakura opened her mouth to reply with a firm, 'We never did', but she felt Sasuke pinch her side. She looked up at him sharply, ready to verbally whip him, but the look in his eyes made her hesitate. Those obsidian orbs begged her to trust him and it made Sakura uneasy. The truth was she wasn't sure if she could trust him or anyone again. She felt so broken and used that she wasn't sure if she could put herself out there again only to be disappointed. She had already experienced two great heartbreaks in her lifetime.

Sakura blinked, realizing the heart of the matter. A part of her would die if she gave Sasuke her trust and he betrayed her…again. Once was bad enough, but after having been with Itachi, who'd taken her to a whole new level of trust and betrayal, she didn't know if she could bear another blow. She couldn't do it…and yet she found herself caught up in those eyes of his. What was this pull that she felt towards this man? She was certain that she had cut this tie long ago. No…she _had _cut this tie. Was it becoming reattached without her knowledge? Surely not.

"Um, guys?"

Sakura turned back to Naruto, remembering once more that he was before them.

"Yeah?" Sakura wondered if he was able to see more than either herself or Sasuke. Naruto had an uncanny ability like that.

"…um when did you start dating again?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Sakura grumbled, but didn't contradict Sasuke's earlier statement about their impending marriage again. Naruto stared at them, still totally confused.

"Why do I feel like I'm not being told something?" Sakura watched as Naruto scratched the back of his head. The expectant kunoichi rolled her eyes and blurted out news that she probably should have kept secret.

"I'm pregnant, Naruto. That's what's missing. I'm pregnant."

Of course, after the words had escaped her lips she realized that perhaps they weren't the wisest thing to say.

"You bastard!" Sasuke and Naruto became a blur of flying fists right before her eyes. She stumbled backwards, trying to move herself out of their pathway. She had a brief thought of stopping the fight, but changed her mind once she remembered that Sasuke was trying to force her to marry him. So she left without another word, hoping that Naruto kicked his ass.

:::

"You didn't have to tell him you were pregnant," Sasuke grumbled around his sore jaw and swollen tongue. Somehow he'd chomped down on it when Naruto's fist had connected with his face. Sakura rolled her eyes and tossed him an ice pack for his black eye. She refused to heal him and knew he was too stubborn to go to the hospital and have another medic look at it.

"Yes, I did. Naruto is one of my closest friends."

"Yeah, that close friend is going to tell any and everyone I knocked you up first then married you later."

"I never said I was marrying you."

"Actually, you did agree to it."

"I have no recollection of this 'agreeing' that you claim I've done."

"Sakura." The sternness in his voice almost made her relent. He had this tone that almost always made her give in to him. She hated when he used that voice with her because it made her feel like the rug had just been pulled out from under her feet and the only choice she had was to cling to him for stability.

"Sasuke, why are making this difficult?"

"You are the one who's making this difficult, but that's your way, I guess. You always make things harder than they have to be."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I thought it was pretty self-explanatory," Sasuke said dryly.

"Well, it's not. So explain yourself."

Sasuke said nothing, only continued to stare at her. The room was so silent that she could hear the ticking of the clock. Sakura began gnashing her teeth at his continued reticence. "And you expect me to marry you when you won't even talk to me?"

"I am talking to you Sakura. You're just not listening. Communication is a two way street."

"What the--" Sakura raised her hand and ran it over her face, trying to regain her composure. "I am this close--" Sakura held up her thumb and pointer finger not even an inch apart, "to throwing you out."

"You honestly think you could make me leave before I'm ready?" Sasuke's brow rose; as he was clearly amused by her words.

"_Why are you antagonizing me?"_

"That's a simple question." Sasuke leaned back in his chair and Sakura couldn't stop the errant thought that he looked like he belonged there. "I want the foremost thing on your mind to be me. All your thoughts from here forward should be of me and our future. If I have to antagonize you to do it…so be it."

Sakura stared at him, flabbergasted. It had to be one of the most selfish and arrogant things she had ever heard. The sorry part about it all was that she was falling for it. Damn it, Sasuke was going to sweep her off her feet, knowing that she intended to keep them firmly planted in the ground, thank you very much.

Why did their relationship have to be so odd? Why couldn't she just throw him out and be done with it? Why couldn't she just be like normal people when their ex was in the vicinity and treat him as if he had the plague?

"I'm here, Sakura. I'll always be here." Sakura heard his words and began to suspect that this was why. "This time you won't be able to pry me away from your side. Nothing matters but you. Marry me."

Sakura opened her mouth to shoot him down, but what came out of her mouth instead was, "Okay."

Sasuke smirked in response.

* * *

_My thanks to BlueArcticWolf for betaing this for me._


	5. Falls Apart

_Story: Bittersweet_

_Pairing: ItaSakuSasu_

_Rating: T_

_Genre: Romance/Family, AU, Non-Massacre_

_**Chapter Five**_

_**Falls Apart**_

Her life was no longer in her control and it frightened her to the depths of her soul. Once she agreed to marry Sasuke he took complete and full control of _everything. _It wasn't very surprising because she had a feeling that Sasuke thought she would change her mind at any moment and bolt like a deer. He wasn't completely wrong in his assumption. She thought about taking it back at least three times a day because it just happened to be the dumbest thing she had ever done next to getting pregnant. Her child's father was Sasuke's brother for goodness sakes! And she hadn't exactly told either of them that.

This was _so_ going to blow up in her face.

It wasn't exactly like she hadn't tried to tell Itachi about the situation. It was just that every time she approached him he was such a complete and utter ass that her anger got the best of her and she ended up not telling him anything, and coming very close to strangling him. And when she tried to tell Sasuke who the father was he would insist…or more like growl…that he was the father and nothing else mattered. He was so stubborn, and it was causing her to come close to pulling out tuffs of her hair in frustration.

Why did she agree to marry him again?

"Sakura, Ino's going to meet you at that shop so that you two can pick out a wedding dress today, and later on tonight we're going to my parents house to announce our engagement."

Sakura raised her hand and clutched her chest. His words nearly caused her to have a heart attack. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She could only stare at him with her eyes round as saucers as her mind slowly translated his words.

She had been certain that he already mentioned their impending nuptials to his family. Why the need for a formal announcement? She did not want to go over there and be faced with the look that was certain to be on Itachi's face once he heard of their upcoming marriage. The very thought made her tremble slightly in fear.

Sasuke mumbled something about foolish women as he walked over to her and whacked her hard on her back.

"Damn it, Sasuke! That hurt!" Sakura glared at Sasuke, who simply shrugged.

"I don't think it would be very sporting of me to allow my bride to choke to death. You should be thanking me, Miss Ungrateful."

"You're impossible, you know that?!"

Ignoring her statement Sasuke continued on, "Dinner is at six."

"Sasuke," Sakura began tentatively, "How is it that the entire village knows we're getting married, but your parents don't?"

"Actually, my mother does know, and she's thrilled by the way. Father doesn't know and Itachi just got back from a mission so he doesn't know yet, not to mention the fact that when he is in the village he's a recluse."

"I see."

Sasuke studied Sakura's face and saw the anxiety written on it. He frowned, wondering why she was so nervous. She had met his parents before. She knew what to expect.

"Sakura, they don't know about the baby," He offered, trying to get her to relax. He walked behind the chair she was sitting in and began to massage the stiffness out of her shoulders.

"Are we telling them?" Sakura meant for the question to come out steady and even, but her voice squeaked towards the end.

"Sakura, it's a baby, not the end of the world. If you haven't already guessed, my family is big on continuing the family name, especially if the child is a boy. It's even better since we're getting married and they won't have to kill you in order to keep the child in the family. I thought you were happy about this."

She _was_ happy about the baby. She had come to terms with the fact that she was pregnant. Although, she wasn't all that fond of the nausea, headaches and aching breasts, but she dealt with them like any impending mother. In actuality, she was coming to terms better with being a mother better than she was accepting the fact that she was going to be Sasuke's wife--which said a lot about her anxiety level about the whole thing.

"I know, Sasuke. I just think I'm about to go tarnish the image that your parents have of you…and me. It's not a good way to start a marriage."

"Our circumstances are not ideal, no."

"They're not."

"But I wouldn't change them." Sakura would have turned and looked at him but he wouldn't allow her to. "I will say this one time and this will be it, Sakura. I'm aware that this isn't my child, at least not my flesh and blood, but it's because of this child that I have the chance to make you mine. This child will have my eternal gratitude and love because of that."

Sakura felt tears spring to her eyes. More and more she had begun to notice the many ways that Sasuke showed her how much he still cared for her. She supposed that he had never truly gotten over their breakup, and it was undeniable that he was overjoyed to be her husband. It disconcerted her, and yet on some level it warmed her heart. It was a heady thing being loved. It was addictive and amazing, even though in the back of her mind she knew that it wasn't his love she needed.

"I'm not ashamed of our child and the circumstances of its conception, nor should you be. You know I will not let anyone hurt our family--not even my own. You should trust me."

His words made her feel guilty. There he was thinking that she didn't believe in him and she had more faith in him than anyone. She still couldn't believe how he had stepped in and stopped her world from spinning out of control. How he quietly supported her as they told their closest friends (the ones that Naruto hadn't gotten to first) about their upcoming marriage. How he was single handedly planning their wedding because she was too much of a basket case to do it herself. He was proving himself to be the man she always thought he could be… and she had no business agreeing to marry him.

There was no way she could back out, not without hurting him. He had become her protector and her support, and for this he had earned her devotion. Tsunade had once told her that love will often follow friendship and devotion, and that kind of love was more special than any passionate romance.

"I trust you, Sasuke."

"Good." He stopped his tender ministrations upon her shoulders. Sakura let out a grieved moan that earned her a wicked chuckle from her fiancé.

"Sadist." She grumbled under her breath, knowing that he heard her.

"Masochist."

And with those words he pulled her to her feet and shooed her out the apartment so that she could meet up with Ino.

:::

"You and Sasuke?" Ino clucked her tongue. "I swear I never thought _that _would happen--not after what that jerk did last time."

"Ino, don't speak like that of Sasuke." Her voice held a note of warning that Ino ignored. It was automatic now, jumping to Sasuke's defense. Lately, more and more people had been looking at them differently, as if they had committed some great taboo act. It angered her to a degree that she just couldn't control when she heard people speaking negatively about Sasuke. People were careful what they said around her, and Sakura was okay with that. She would have her husband's back, and the gossiping people of this village be damned.

"Why not? He knocked you up and--"

"_Ino_!" Ino looked at Sakura, shocked at her tone. "You will not talk about Sasuke like that. There are things you don't know and probably wouldn't understand if I even told you. First and foremost he is my fiancé, but he is also my teammate and you will not speak of him so harshly anymore, not if you want to remain friends."

"You can't be serious. He's only doing right by you. Don't make him out to be some sort of saint." Ino rolled her eyes at her old friend and continued shopping, but Sakura's firm grip on her shoulder made her pause.

"You can go home. I don't need your help."

A flicker of hurt pain flashed across the blonde's eyes. "Sakura--" Ino said beseechingly, suddenly realizing that she had hurt Sakura. For once, that had not been her intention at all.

"No. I'm not hearing it. I can't control what people say about Sasuke, but I will not associate with anyone who speaks ill of him. I have agreed to marry him because he's proven that he's my friend; that he loves me, and he will never leave me alone again. I am happy with my choice. Yes, I'm pregnant a lot sooner than I expected to be, but he's taking care of me and if you can't respect that then you need to be on your way."

"You love him. After all this time you still love him." Ino's face reflected her shock. She had thought that the couple was doing this for the sake of the kid. She never even considered that there could be feelings involved. What exactly had happened between Sasuke and Sakura, and how had she kept it a secret for so long?

"This isn't about love. It's about respect and disrespect, and I will not allow anyone to disrespect Uchiha Sasuke."

:::

Sakura made her way home after an unsuccessful venture at finding a bridal kimono. She was tired and all she wanted to do was lay down in her bed and sleep. However, she realized that this wasn't going to happen anytime soon as she saw Kakashi leaning casually against a fence as he read Icha Icha, very obviously waiting for her. She could feel one of his lectures winding up, and she suddenly wanted Sasuke with her.

"Sensei." She said once she had reached his side.

"Sakura." Kakashi took a cursory glance at her face. "Feeling okay?" Sakura let out a little sigh.

"Not really. It hasn't been that great of a day."

Kakashi grabbed hold of her elbow, guiding her along. They walked in relative silence until Kakashi finally asked his question. "So, who really is the father?"

Sakura froze and looked up at him, guilt painted on her face like the finest artwork. It confirmed his suspicions like nothing else could have. "How did you know?"

"Sakura, I've known you both since you were twelve. You haven't shown any interest in Sasuke for quite some time." Sakura shoulders slumped dejectedly. "Sakura, you don't have to marry Sasuke if you don't want to. He won't be angry if you refuse him. We'll all support you regardless."

"I know, but Sasuke is so set on this marriage. I find that I don't want to disappoint him. He doesn't often play the hero." Sakura frowned, thinking on the tragedy that she called her life.

"But is this marriage what you want?" Kakashi prodded.

"I want Sasuke to be happy." Truly, that was all she could focus on. When she thought of herself a darkness filled her. A darkness that only carried pain and confusion, anger and hurt, things that made her want to beg Lady Tsunade for a suicide mission to Sound. So she pushed all thoughts of herself away and thought of Sasuke. He had proven himself to be a rather easy distraction.

"I'm sure Sasuke wants you to be happy too."

"I do." Sakura turned towards the sound of the voice. There stood her savior with his hands shoved into his pockets, staring at her solemnly. The seriousness of his expression tugged at her heartstrings. "You know I won't really make you do something you don't want."

Sakura gave him a smile that made some of the tension in Kakashi ease. He recognized that smile even if Sakura hadn't quite caught on yet. "You _couldn't_ make me do something I didn't want to."

The two stared at each other while Kakashi quietly slipped away, suddenly sure that everything was going to be alright.

"Is that so?" Sasuke closed the distance between them, his brow arched in mockery of the woman before him. An inch of space was all that was between them and Sakura shivered at the warmth of his body. She lifted her chin and stared at him defiantly.

"It most certainly is so, and you'd do best to remember that Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke bent down, resting his forehead against hers, staring into her eyes, searching her emerald depths. Sakura decided that he must be looking into her soul with his all-seeing eyes. His lips were so close to hers and she could feel wisps of his breath against her face. She felt her breath hitch and she was certain that he would kiss her. He hadn't done so since that day in her apartment when she had teasingly stuck her tongue out at him. It wasn't that she wanted him to kiss her…nor was it that she _didn't _want him to. It was just….

"I will."

Sakura blinked, wondering what in the world he was talking about as he pulled away from her. He slipped his arms around her shoulders and coaxed her arms around his waist as she was still trying to figure out why the heck he hadn't kissed her.

She still hadn't come up with an answer when they made it to the Uchiha district. Sakura mentally swore, realizing that they still had to have dinner with his family. How had she allowed him to cloud her mind so much when they had important things to speak of? She had hoped to discuss Itachi with him before this, but it seemed that she had run out of time.

"Sasuke--"

"There's nothing to worry about Sakura."

"But--"

"Sakura, remember what you said about trust? We talked about it earlier."

Sakura pressed her lips together firmly, determined not to say anything else on the matter. Soon Uchiha Mikoto was standing before them smiling broadly. Sakura could see the excitement in her eyes and she found herself smiling in response. Mikoto reached out and grabbed Sakura's hand, tugging her away from Sasuke's side. She glanced back at Sasuke who just shrugged at his mother's exuberance.

Mikoto dragged her into the kitchen where she immediately started grilling her.

"Tell me how he proposed."

Sakura blinked. "Repeatedly." She supposed Mikoto was looking for some sort of grand romantic proposal, but she should know better than that since this was _her _son they were talking about. Sasuke didn't know the meaning of the word romance. Sakura frowned. At least she thought he didn't, but she was coming to realize that there was a lot that she didn't know about Sasuke.

Mikoto looked at her confused. "What?"

"Repeatedly. I said no the first time." Sakura smiled at the all too recent memory which was strange. She herself would have thought that she would want an elaborate and romantic proposal but such was not the case. She had found Sasuke's repeated proposals quite…sweet. "So he asked me again."

"And then you said yes?"

Sakura shook her head and grinned at her future mother-in-law. "Nope."

Uchiha Mikoto put her hands on her hips and looked at Sakura sternly. "Haruno Sakura, did you give my son a hard time?"

"Yes, ma'am I did."

A grin quite like the Cheshire cat split across the older woman's face. "Good job. That boy gets everything he wants far too easily for my tastes. Every now and then he should have to work for what he wants."

"Well said, Mother." Sasuke grumbled from the doorway. Sakura turned her head to see him standing with his arms crossed over his chest, a light smirk on his lips. Of course, he would be amused now that he knew she was in his grasp and wasn't going anywhere. They were to be married, and Sakura decided that being married to the man before her might not be such a bad thing. Sakura watched quietly as Sasuke strode over to her, slipped an arm around her waist pulled her close to him. She took a deep breath and caught the scent of burnt sandalwood and lightning summers. Sasuke had always smelled wild, like an untamed entity, and she suddenly found that she felt at home within his arms. She looked up to see him gazing at his mother.

"Mother, I hope I can depend upon you to keep quiet until we're ready to announce our engagement."

Mikoto grimaced and turned her back to Sasuke.

"Of course you can count on me. You know I won't tell a soul."

Sasuke looked down at Sakura and gave her a look he couldn't give his mother since her back was turned. It was skeptical and slightly annoyed. It seemed Mikoto was one of those people who knew everything, and nothing could have prevented her finding out about the upcoming marriage.

Mikoto shooed the couple out of the kitchen under the pretense of finishing dinner, but Sakura had a feeling that it was because she didn't want to be questioned any further on the subject of their engagement. Sasuke held her a little tighter and led his future bride through the Uchiha compound.

Sakura had always loved the Uchiha home, but now as she walked through with Sasuke at her side it brought pain into her heart. It reminded her that not too long ago that she thought she would be walking just like this with another member of the Uchiha clan. And with that thought, all of the stress and fears about her future suddenly rose up against her.

Sasuke, sensing the shift of her mood, glanced down at her quizzically.

"What is it?" He asked softly. Sakura placed a smile on her face that was entirely false and opened her mouth to utter the words of reassurance, but he silenced her before those words could be said. He'd always knew when she was lying and he would not have it. "What is wrong, Sakura?"

"Sasuke…we're getting married, right?"

Sasuke tossed her a look and quipped,

"Of course we are. Are you stupid?" Sakura ignored the comment and continued on. "Would it be alright with you if we did not live within the Uchiha compound?"

Sasuke frowned at Sakura. "Sakura…you know that this is where the Uchiha clan stays. To stay outside of the compound generally means that you have been shunned from the family for one reason or another."

"Haven't they already done that to you?" Sakura asked, thinking of what he had told her the first time he had proposed to her.

"In some ways, but not in all. I do not wish to remove myself from my family. Do you understand that?" Sakura nodded her head slightly. "I thought you loved the Uchiha compound."

"It's not that I don't…it's just that…I don't feel like I belong here."

Sasuke eyes softened almost imperceptibly. "Sakura, you belong where I am and no one will tell you otherwise."

Sakura didn't believe his words for one second, but she would accept them for now. What choice did she have? So while one of her thoughts had been momentarily allayed another still remained.

"Sasuke, I need to tell you about the baby's father."

"I am the baby's father."

"Sasuk--"

"No."

"Sasuke, please--"

"No."

"You're being a jerk again."

"So?"

"Sasuke! Will you please just listen? How can I be your wife if you won't listen to me?"

"I do listen to you, Sakura." Sakura raised a brow, not sure whether or not to be exasperated or amused.

"Then prove it and hear me now."

"I don't need to know who the father is, Sakura." Sasuke said with a sigh.

"I need to know that you'll still want me if you know who it is."

"And I need to not have a name to go with whoever abandoned you. His life is safer that way."

"Sasuke--"

"No, Sakura. Let that be the end of it." The finality in his voice left no room for argument. She said nothing as he held out his hand to her waiting for her to do as he said. With a sigh she interlocked her fingers in his and then smiled slightly as his rough hands tightened on hers.

Sasuke took her to places that as an outsider she had never been able to see before. And she realized something: the Uchiha compound was quite possibly the most beautiful area in all Konoha. The anxiety that she had been feeling about this dinner had almost completely vanished until someone appeared before them.

Sakura suddenly found herself staring into piercing black eyes. She could hardly tell from this distance, but Sakura thought she saw those onyx orbs widen in anger as he took in the pair of hands intertwined before him. "Sasuke, Mother requests your presence."

The words were said to Sasuke, but his eyes never once left hers. Sakura felt like a coward when she broke eye contact with him and turned to look at Sasuke. "Let's go then." Sasuke briefly looked back and forth between Sakura and his brother, not missing his fiancé as she stiffened, and his brother's dangerous eyes as he took them in. He filed it away instead of saying anything as Sakura began to pull him along.

Sakura half-way expected Itachi to join them on their walk back to the house, _walking_ because Sasuke was being crazy about Sakura's condition, but the older Uchiha simply turned and walked away, and for that Sakura was grateful.

:::

Sakura's food was half-way to her mouth when Mikoto's silence could last no longer.

"Sasuke and Sakura are getting married!" All the inhabitants of the table froze and turned to look at Mikoto. The Uchiha Matriarch gave them all a beatific smile and let out a deep breath. "I feel so much better now that I've gotten that off my chest."

Sakura was very aware of the fact that the attention that was once focused on Mikoto by Sasuke's father and brother were now focused on them. Sakura felt her stomach churn uneasily. So perhaps Mikoto hadn't told anyone yet. She had just been waiting for the moment when she could be the one to reveal the news to everyone. Sakura was beginning to think she would have preferred her telling people beforehand….

"Sasuke…"

"Hn."

"I think I'm going to be sick." At her softly whispered words Sasuke looked at Sakura sharply. "Do you need help?"

"What? You're going to hold my hair?"

Sasuke shrugged wordlessly If Sakura hadn't been fighting not to upchuck the contents of her stomach she was pretty sure she would have blushed at the gesture. As it was she shook her head quickly in refusal, and excused herself from the table, feeling the heat of eyes watch her leave the room swiftly.

After the contents of her stomach had been deposited elsewhere, Sakura then realized that her breath was less than fresh.

That was an understatement. Rancid. Her breath was rancid. How could she go back out there and---

_Sakura's brief daydream:_

_Sakura walked back into the dining room. Everyone looked at her with a bit of concern. _

"_Oh, Sakura." Mikoto began. "I'm so sorry I spoiled your news like that. You must be terribly upset."_

_Sakura smiled slightly and moved over towards Sasuke, never once making eye contact with anyone else at the table. "It's alright." Sakura settled herself at the table and put on a brave façade in order to deliver the second part of the news that Sasuke was so determined to tell. Sakura turned her head towards her intended with a small yet brittle smile on her face._

"_Sasuke--" Sakura broke off as tears immediately formed in his eyes. This alarmed Sakura because Sasuke never cried. No seriously--he didn't. He often walked around with his big, manly shoulders with the whole 'real men don't cry' persona. Why would he be crying? "Sasuke, what's wrong?" If anything the tears became worse. _

_Sakura began to conjure up all kinds of scenarios about the possible issues that could have come up after she had left the table. _

_Sasuke could have told them that she was pregnant and the child wasn't his so they refused their marriage._

_Itachi could have told Sasuke of their prior relationship and in shock and pain he had given way to tears._

_Fugaku-- _

_Her wild thoughts broke off once Sasuke discreetly passed her a mint._

That was it. Sakura, who had made her way to Sasuke's personal bathroom, began searching for his spare toothbrush since the one he normally used was in her apartment. Yes, it was kind of gross, but it wasn't like they weren't going to be swapping spit in the future anyways--and it wasn't like they hadn't done it before. There was no way in hell she was going out there, telling Sasuke's family she was pregnant with her breath smelling like she had been eating with the pigs and rolling in manure. Hell no. The evening was already bad enough as it was. So, Sakura, upon finding Sasuke's toothbrush and toothpaste began brushing her teeth. She was in mid-spit when she noticed she was no longer alone. Immediately she knew it wasn't Sasuke. She could tell by just the way his scent permeated her senses. No, definitely not Sasuke .The way that ever present ache in her heart seemed to just intensify. Sakura stiffened and slowly raised her head. She met his eyes in the mirror before her, but for some reason couldn't turn around. It seemed safer, somehow, watching him through the mirror before her.

"So…you're marrying my foolish little brother." Sakura didn't reply, only stared at him silently as the words she couldn't say were caught in her throat. "How long has it been since you left my bed? Days? Weeks?" Still, Sakura said nothing. She had expected something like this to happen sometime in the near future. It was part of the reason why she refused Sasuke's offer to 'hold her hair'. It was better to get it out of the way rather than put if off.

"Do you honestly think I'm going to let you ruin my brother's life because you have some sort of ridiculous grudge against me, Sakura?" The cool façade that Sakura had been holding on to slipped. This was the first time that he had ever said her name. The first time…and he would use it to threaten her. Sakura resolutely resolved to not let a single tear slide down her face, but as her heart began to crumble in her chest, she felt as if she were losing the battle.

"I have no grudge against you." She forced her words to come out even and calm, but doing so drained her of so much energy.

"Really? Then have you told my little brother about us?"

"Unnecessary information." Sakura whispered, not truly believing her own words.

"You honestly think that?" He looked at her curiously, resting his hands on top of her shoulders and squeezing firmly.

"Did you care that I had slept with Sasuke before you?" Itachi's eyes narrowed on her small frame. Sakura saw the surprise in his eyes and realized that he hadn't known. How could he not have known? They were a couple for goodness sakes! In those days Sasuke spent more time in her bed than he did in his own. Did he live in a cave? Or was he just oblivious?

"So you're some sort of Uchiha whore." His hands dropped from her shoulders and he took a step away in disgust.

A tear slid down her face and fell into the sink before her. A whore. That's what she had been reduced to. She supposed in a way she deserved it. She _had_ jumped from brother to brother. Her current relationship with Sasuke was not physical yet, but it all still felt wrong to her.

"You are not worthy of the Uchiha name. I don't know what games you're playing, but they end tonight."

"This isn't about you, Itachi."

"No, it's all about you."

And with those words he strode out of the bathroom. Sakura stared at the door that he had left ajar and something akin to panic swelled in her chest. It was all about to unravel. A bitter smile came to her lips. Of course this would all be too good to be true. Before she knew what she had done Sakura had taken her hand and raked her nails across her forearms. Something, anything would do to distract herself from the pain that she was feeling in her heart. She stared at the angry red welts on her arms, realizing that her emotional state was a mess. It had to be if she would go so far as to physically harm herself to escape from her emotional pain and yet she wanted to do it again. It eased the pain…if only for a moment.

Sakura slid to the floor and sobbed. Her hands flew to her face, trying even harder to block out the horrifying truth about to be exposed. She wanted to be cast in darkness because she was truly an awful, terrible person. Sakura had no idea how long she stayed in the bathroom. Her tears flowed from her eyes in an unstoppable flood, and she suddenly found herself retching into the toilet once again.

Afterwards, Sakura collapsed onto the floor, trying to compose herself quickly. Sasuke would probably come looking for her soon… if Itachi hadn't divulged her secret yet.

Sakura rose to her feet shakily, quickly rinsing out her mouth. She took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and stepped out of the bathroom. It was time to face the Uchiha family. She entered the dining room just as Itachi began making the announcement. He must have sensed her approaching before he began to speak. Sakura had the errant thought,

_'Aw, he waited for me. Isn't that sweet?'_

"I do not believe that Sasuke should marry Sakura."

Fugaku frowned at his oldest son. He had his reservations back when they had started dating, but in time he came to realize that the Haruno girl was good for Sasuke. There was no other woman who could possibly put up with his youngest son. It was better to have him marry someone willing than no one at all. No one in their right mind would take him which clearly stated what he thought of Haruno Sakura. Still, Itachi was objecting to the marriage and Fugaku was immensely curious as to his eldest's explanation why.

"Explain." Fugaku said tersely.

"Because not even two months ago she graced my bed on a regular basis."

Silence descended upon the room. The shock was great as it hit the people in the room. Fugaku clenched and unclenched his fists, turning to look at Mikoto. His wife sat with horror in her eyes and a hand over her mouth. Not once did Fugaku doubt Itachi's word. His son had no reason to spread untruths, and it was out of character for him. The older man sighed irritably. Now he was never going to get rid of his youngest son.

"Sasuke I'm afraid--" Fugaku began, but was cut off by his younger son's words.

"So you're the bastard that got her pregnant." A strangled sound emerged from Sakura's throat, but Sasuke didn't turn in her direction, instead glancing at his father. "Don't get me wrong, Father. I did not come here today to ask you for your permission to marry Sakura. I'm doing that regardless. However-"

Sakura moved and stood in front of Itachi, knowing that Sasuke's emotions were raging out of control and he would not think twice about unleashing his lightning on his brother. This was why he had not wanted to know the name of her ex-lover. She understood now why Sasuke had not pushed the subject. His Sharingan was activated and his stance screamed death. Sakura felt naïve and stupid for believing Itachi would have left their past in the past. She could only wonder at his motives.

Sasuke looked down at Sakura in surprise that she would dare get in his way.

"Step aside, Sakura."

"No."

"_Step. Aside." _Sakura flinched at his harsh tone, but made no move to obey. Instead, she was going to step into the fray and try to calm the storm before it began.

"He's your brother, Sasuke."

"He's the man that hurt you." He said it as if it negated her earlier statement.

"And he is still your brother."

"I do not need you to fight my battles, Sakura." Itachi's voice came from behind her, but she ignored him and his use of her name as she focused on Sasuke. She wasn't concerned with how his family viewed her. Right that second she just didn't want to see him destroy his relationship with the brother she knew he loved so much…for her. "She didn't tell you because she's using you to get to me. She's going to make your life miserable because she's just substituting you for me. Walk away little brother. It's what's best for you."

Sakura reached out and placed her hands on Sasuke's chest. She could feel him trembling with rage beneath her finger tips and found herself lightly caressing him in hopes that the tension that was pent up in him would relax a little. It had worked a time or two in the past. She was hoping that today fortune would shine upon her once more.

"Do not do this, Sasuke." She said softly. "Please. Listen to me." She had deliberately used the word listen because of their earlier discussion. It was a low blow, but in this instance fighting dirty was necessary. Sasuke let out a shuddering breath. He calmed a little but the anger was still there beneath the surface, waiting to burst free.

"We're leaving. Now."

Sakura nodded, grateful that he wasn't going to start a fight and scurried to the door. She didn't look at the occupants of the room as she exited the area, afraid of what she might see on their faces. Again, she felt like a coward but sometimes being a coward was a necessary thing.

Living to fight another day and all that jazz.

Once the night air hit her face she looked up at Sasuke, whose face appeared to carved in stone. This was why she had wanted to tell him about Itachi. The last thing she wanted was to tear his family apart. Guilt stabbed her as she realized that he was prepared to walk away from his family forever, just for her. She stopped before they were halfway home and turned to face him.

"Sasuke."

So occupied was he with his thoughts that he was several steps ahead of her before he realized she had called out to him. His head turned sharply, seeing that she had stopped.

"What's wrong? Is it the baby?"

Sakura's eyes softened and shook her head. She wrapped her arms around herself protectively and said firmly, "Go back."

"Did you forget something?" Sasuke asked with a frown.

"No…but you still need to go back…and talk to Itachi."

"If I go back," Sasuke growled. "There will be no talking."

"He's not at fault for this Sasuke. It happened. It was a mistake."

"Our child is not a mistake." Sakura frowned. Initially his use of the term 'our' when they discussed her child disconcerted her, but this time it made her feel oddly secure--especially given the night they had.

"Sasuke, stop being unreasonable. If you can blame him then you have to blame me, too."

"And who's to say I don't?" Sakura flinched and took a step back. Her eyes filled with tears that she immediately turned her head to hide. "Sakura, I didn't mean--" Sasuke said instantly contrite.

"You meant it, but its fine. Go make peace with your brother. I know how much you love him, Sasuke. So fix it."

"You want me to take his side over yours? You want me to abandon you like he wishes?"

Sakura's mouth hung agape. She had not thought any such thing, but it seemed her words implied such a possibility.

"Sakura?" Sasuke growled, demanding an answer. Her words would determine their future. If she wanted him to stay and fight for her then he would fight. He would fight long and hard and in the end he would win…because that is what she desired. However if she told him to walk away…he would still fight because she was the only woman that he'd ever want.

"I want…" Sakura closed her eyes and searched herself trying to find what it was that she truly wanted and not be swept along by a current that was out of her control. It didn't take long to come to a conclusion. It had been near to the surface for quite some time. "I want you to go, make peace with your brother, and if you can find it in you…come home to me."

She opened her eyes to find him standing before her. He trailed a finger down her cheek, frowning as he realized they were slightly damp with tears, then down to her lips where he traced the small crease.

"I'll take you home first." Before she could think through her actions, she kissed the finger that lay before her. His eyes widened in surprise and Sakura felt her cheeks color in response.

"No…I'm fine on my own. I'm almost there." He opened his mouth to protest but Sakura waved him off. "I'm not an invalid Sasuke. If you're going to treat me like a baby the whole time I'm pregnant then-"

"Then what?" He asked, curious about her answer especially since he had a few changes in her life planned that she was sure not to like.

"…I don't know yet, but I'll think of something."

His lips quirked upward but the almost smile disappeared quickly. "I'm going then." He turned away then and Sakura watched him until he disappeared into the night.

:::

"Where is he, Mother?" Mikoto took one look into her son's eyes and knew that he was prepped for a battle. She did the only thing a mother would do under such circumstances. She tried to make her son see reason before he did something stupid.

"Sasuke, wait. Perhaps you should go to your room and calm down a bit before--" Sasuke glanced at his mother, showing her his determination. Mikoto let out a sigh, which was also something many a woman had done when she realized that their child was going to do something insanely stupid and could do nothing to stop it. "He's with your father in his office."

"Thank you, Mother."

He didn't remember the walk to the office, but the scene that greeted him would be forever seared into his brain. The walls were lined with books. Some were his mother's while others dealt with the history of the clan and so on and so forth. Moonlight streamed through several of the windows illuminating the room, save for a small lamp that lay lit on his father's desk. His father sat in his chair, a glass of some sort of liquor in his hand. Itachi sat across from him earnestly imploring his father to stop Sasuke's marriage to Sakura before it was too late. Red overtook his vision, but he forced himself to calm down. Sakura had asked for him to make peace…but he was beginning to doubt the possibility. Itachi turned his head to meet Sasuke's cold gaze.

"So, you've returned. I do hope that sense has come with you."

"That would only be possible it my senses had left me, brother." Normally, his brother would make some sort of retort about him doubting that he ever had senses in the first place, but that was normal playful banter, something not appropriate for the seriousness of the situation.

Itachi rose slowly to his feet and stalked over to Sasuke. "Don't tell me you still mean to go through with this fiasco. I thought you smarter than that."

"What business is it of yours, Itachi?"

"According to you it's my child, correct? Then that would make it more my business than yours. Assuming, of course, that's she's really pregnant." That red rage was creeping back up, but he forced himself to continue talking.

"I don't like your implications."

"Then I will state it plainly, little brother. She's lying. She's lying and you're a fool to fall so easily into her web."

"Don't you dare insult--"

"-And hopefully you haven't been foolish enough to sleep with her because it would be no big thing for a woman's first child to come a little later than expected."

"You bast--"

Fugaku cut Sasuke off mid-sentence. "It could be true, Sasuke." Sasuke whirled to face his father.

"No, it could not. I know Sakura. She would not do any such thing."

"Who truly knows anyone, my son?"

Sasuke sneered at his father. "I should have known that you would side with him. He's not a fucking saint! He's a man just like us."

"To be caught up in something like this Sasuke…I don't know if you have earned the title of 'man'."

Sasuke was hurt by his father's words, but he would not let it show. "So, are you saying that in order to be a man, I must sleep with a young woman, toss her aside and deny her child when she becomes pregnant not three months later?!"

Fugaku frowned and turned back to Itachi. He had to concede that Sasuke had made a valid point. "Is it possible that the girl could be telling the truth, Itachi?"

"It's a small possibility. If such is the case then I will marry the girl if it pleases you, Father." Itachi spoke as if he were receiving a mission he didn't particularly want. His stone face never slipped, and Sasuke was struck at how his brother could be so cold.

"It would be a smart match with her ties to the Hokage." Fugaku eyed Itachi speculatively.

"The hell you will." Sasuke snarled. "Why the hell do you think I'm marrying her, anyway?"

"What reason could you have but pity?" Itachi asked curiously. "Once I marry her your sense of obligation should be satisfied. You can live your life how you please."

"And if I wish to live it by her side? Then what Itachi?"

"Then you're a fool."

"Maybe so, but I will be a fool who has loved and died happy rather than a man who has only his duty to comfort him."

"Since when did you turn into a philosopher, little brother? Since when do you speak of love? Aren't you too young for such sentiments?"

Sasuke stared at his brother incredulously. Everyone in his family, even his father, knew of his feelings for Sakura. His mother had scolded him soundly when she learned of their breakup. How had Itachi missed all this? Had he thought she was some passing whim? Or had he attributed it all to youth and first love? Sasuke shook his head over his meanderings. "Look, I didn't come here for this."

"Then, what _did _you come here for?" Fugaku asked.

Sasuke turned his head and looked at his brother. "I came here to tell you I forgive you."

"You--" Itachi started.

"No, for once, brother, you will listen to me for a change. I was not swindled, hoodwinked, or deceived into asking Sakura for her hand. I did it because I wanted to."

"Sasu--"

"No. You are going to return the favor and listen to me. Sakura and I dated several years back, but I messed things up. I messed up grandly. It's a regret that I've always carried with me. I was forced back into the role of comrade, friend." Sasuke's lips curled in distaste. "I'll concede the point. Maybe, as you say, this is all some sort of scheme to get revenge on you. Regardless, I swore to myself if I ever got the opportunity to step back into her life and take the role that I foolishly gave up then I would do it with no hesitation. No questions asked. No _regret_."

"She's only using you to get to me."

"You think too highly of yourself big brother, and I suppose I can understand that given all you have accomplished at such a young age. However, where Haruno Sakura is concerned, none of that matters because before you there was me and before _that _it was still _me_. Just like after you there will continue to be _me_, and no matter where she goes or who she's with, I will always be there. I overshadow any man that has ever come into her life. I always will because she is mine. You may think that she's using me to get to you when the truth is she has used you to get to me. I accept the blame for certain events that have occurred because I moved too slowly…so her child will be my child. She may foolishly thinks that she has feelings for you…and perhaps she does, but it pales in comparison to what she feels for me. So the topic of whether or not I will marry her is closed. She will be my wife and all of you will accept it. I say these words not in jest, not in anger, but for the sake of peace because that is what she wants and damn it, I will always give Sakura what she wants."

"Sasuke," Fugaku interrupted. "This is potentially Itachi's heir that you are speaking of. You would deny it of its birthright?"

"Itachi has no children." Sasuke said with finality before he left his father's office.

:::

She honestly hadn't expect him to return that night. She had expected to be awake all night worrying over whether or not he would return home, but exhaustion still claimed her. Her eyes drifted shut and her arms were wrapped tightly around a pillow when he returned to her. He looked at her face, taking in her features as she slumbered peacefully. She stirred slightly and her eyes fluttered opened. "Sasuke?" She asked.

"Hn."

"Why are you back?" She stretched a bit then moved over allowing him to slip into bed beside her. He did so and immediately pulled her into his arms.

"Go to sleep, Sakura." She nodded her head slightly and drifted back to sleep, peace written all over her face.

* * *

--_Thanks to BlueArcticWolf for looking over this for me._


	6. Bitter Confirmation

_**Chapter Six**_

_**Confirmation**_

The previous night's events flooded Sakura's brain as soon as her eyes opened. The bed was empty and she frowned, wondering if Sasuke's return was just a dream. She slipped out of bed to go check the kitchen when she heard the shower running. Relief slipped through her system at the realization that he had not left her.

Sakura frowned. Relieved? Why was she relieved? Sakura ran her hand over her face briefly plagued by mild confusion. More and more she was starting to believe that she wanted this marriage just as much as Sasuke did, but why the hell would she want that? It had to be the hormones, Sakura thought with a shake of her head. There was no other explanation.

Sakura walked into the kitchen to make something for breakfast but saw that the deed had already been done. A smile graced her lips at Sasuke's thoughtfulness. She didn't think she'd ever get over seeing this 'sweet' side of him.

She was finishing up her breakfast when he finally joined her. His hair was still slightly damp, and his skin shone in the light. He took long showers, which was a rare opportunity on a mission, so he was in a bad habit of rushing through getting dressed. He would soak through the clothes he wore and it was a battle to get him to dry his hair. Sakura smiled. She'd scolded him about it so much in the past that he'd memorized her speech. Occasionally, he'd repeat it with her word for word—sass and all. Sakura's lips quirked upward at the memory. She chose not to fight that particular fight with him now.

He slid into the chair across from her, not speaking but assessing. His dark eyes studied her features; beginning with her face, ghosting across her hair and down her neck. They didn't move any further and Sakura's heart pounded with anxiety. What if he felt he'd made a mistake? What if he was thinking that he needed to cut things off with her, and that picking up after his brother was a role he didn't really want? Was he sitting there, attempting to find a way to tell her he was backing out? His silence became too much and Sakura found herself blurting out her fears in one question.

"What happened last night?"

Sasuke shrugged and leaned forward to snatch some of the food that lay forgotten on her plate. She didn't bother to stop him.

"Nothing much." Sakura stared at Sasuke with her mouth agape. They had just announced to his family that she was pregnant with his brother's baby, getting married, and then had left their house in something of an uproar and when he returned nothing happened? That was hardly believable.

"Nothing…much." Sasuke grunted at her response and Sakura felt her eye twitch. "You're not serious, are you?"

"I've been thinking about what you said," Sasuke said, changing the subject. "And I have no problem with living outside the compound if that is where you feel the most comfortable."

Sakura briefly felt relief at the fact that he wasn't going to leave her. However, unease at his words soon followed.

"No, Sasuke. We'll stay in the compound. It's the least I can do for-"

"I don't want your gratitude, Sakura. I want you to decide where you feel most comfortable and we'll take it from there." He stood then and Sakura's eyes followed the fluidity of his movements. Her eyes searched his face for any of the anger and rage that she saw in him the night before. She saw none of it and for some reason felt that he looked peaceful. That didn't make any sense, but when did Sasuke ever make sense? "Naruto and I have a mission. It should last no more than a week. Kakashi will be by to check on you while I'm gone." Sakura shook her head to rid herself of her dazed feeling. A mission? Why hadn't he told her sooner about this? "The Hokage wants you to report to her immediately. I told her I'd send you after you had eaten."

"That was a lot of information and yet it wasn't the information I was seeking." Sasuke walked over to her, a smirk on his lips and held out his hand to her. She took it, allowing him to assist her to her feet. His hand lingered a while around hers and Sakura's heart sped up at the contact, but Sasuke pulled away, ending the moment abruptly.

"Get going. We'll talk when I get back."

Sakura suddenly realized that Sasuke had answered none of her questions. Questions that would be sure to plague her while he was gone. "Sasuke! You'll be gone for a week!"

Sometimes she believed he tried to drive her insane on purpose.

:::

"The head of the Uchiha clan stopped by my office this morning claiming he wants an Uchiha medic to examine you to assure him of your pregnancy. Know anything about that?"

Sakura groaned and then began to mentally curse Sasuke. He could have told her before he left that this subject had come up. At least she would have been prepared for it. But no, they had to wait to talk until he came back from his stupid mission. He was going to get it when he returned home.

It didn't take a genius to see how Fugaku's mind was working when he made his request, or perhaps demand, to the Hokage.

"I would imagine he assumes I'm trying to trap Sasuke into marriage by staging a pregnancy."

"Would you do something like that?"

"No!"

"Oh calm down. I know you well enough to know you wouldn't do anything so foolish," Tsunade said, pulling out a bit of sake. "Want some?" She offered, giving Sakura a malicious smile.

"Funny."

"I certainly thought so," Tsunade said with a chuckle. "So, what are you going to do? I can't force you to do this. It is your body."

"It's fine. If it will make life easier for Sasuke…then…."

"Speaking of Sasuke, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. When's the wedding?"

"Two weeks."

"The boy moves fast." Tsunade nodded her head and took a small sip of her drink then leaned back. Sakura frowned, realizing that she was drinking ridiculously early in the morning, but before she could remark upon it the woman asked a question that threw her. "Sakura, I knew you were dating someone secretly, but was it really Sasuke?"

Sakura almost gasped. How many people were going to guess that her relationship with Sasuke wasn't what it seemed? First Kakashi and now the Hokage. On another note, she had no idea that anyone outside of Itachi and herself knew of their relationship. She had taken great pains to keep the whole thing quiet since Itachi was a very private man. Sakura sighed and took a deep breath.

"I would rather not lie to you Tsunade-sama so can we cease this line of questioning?"

Tsunade paused for a moment, surprised at Sakura's refusal to answer but she shook if off quickly. "Of course, but I'm worried about you. Do you at least love him?"

"Yes." Sakura answered instantly. Yes, she loved Sasuke. She adored him. She was grateful to him. She needed him. Love-that was one thing that she was not in question of. But was she _in love _with him? No. She was not. However, it bothered her that most people assumed that she had no affection for her teammate. She supposed it was because she had blatantly blew up years ago when he had suggested altering their relationship-and the fact that she had said that she wouldn't touch him ever again in life even if she had a ten foot pole. But those were words spoken in anger, though at the time she'd been dead serious.

"Then I suppose it's a start. I want you to be happy."

"I am," Sakura assured her.

Tsunade studied her for a moment and then nodded her head.

"Yes, you appear to me much happier than I've seen you in quite some time." Sakura frowned, not quite understanding what she was talking about. "So I won't push you on this. However, we still have some issues to discuss. Given your current pregnancy you've been taken off active duty." Sakura nodded her head understandingly. She would never do anything to harm the child she was carrying. "However, your fiancé has requested that your load at the hospital be lightened significantly." Sakura's eyes narrowed at the proclamation. "Do you agree with this?"

"No," Sakura snarled, angry that Sasuke had gone behind her back and spoken with the Hokage. This was something that they should have discussed together. He had no right! Now she knew why this sudden mission had come up. The little wretch had it all planned out so he wouldn't be here for her to kill him for it! Well, it couldn't be said that he was an idiot. He was a lot safer in Wave Country than here in Konoha with her.

Tsunade's brow rose at that. The Hokage didn't think his request was an unreasonable one. In fact, she could completely understand where he was coming from. On the other hand, she knew if Sakura couldn't handle her workload she'd own up to it…eventually. She supposed the 'eventually' was the part that had Sasuke worried. Sakura would most likely be nine months pregnant before she allowed herself to quit working. Still, Tsunade would question the girl because it seemed so much had changed in Sakura's life in such a short time. It made her feel like she had missed an important chapter in the life of the young woman she loved like a daughter and she was eager to catch up on it. "Oh? And why not?"

"Because if I continue to allow Sasuke to treat me like an invalid then it will only get worse. He acts like I'm going to break at any second."

"Ah, a lover's spat. Take it easy on the boy. It is his first child so he's bound to be a little overprotective."

An image of Sasuke constantly around her and harassing her about simple things popped into her mind. "A little?"

Tsunade shrugged, knowing that the Uchiha's actions were blatantly understated by her. She decided then and there she wouldn't tell Sakura everything that the Uchiha had requested. She could find out from someone else and blow up on them. "So what do you want me to do?"

"As of right now my current load is fine. However, if I feel the need to lighten it then I will come to you and we will discuss it then." Tsunade nodded. That was what she had expected.

"And how is your fiancé going to react to this?" Tsunade asked curiously, knowing that disaster was impending for the young couple.

"He's going to shit a brick." Tsunade chuckled and Sakura couldn't help but join her.

"You're probably right."

"So, when and where am I supposed to meet the Uchiha medic?"

A knock sounded on the door.

"Right on time." Sakura looked at Tsunade incredulously. How had the woman known that she would agree to being examined by someone else? Tsunade only shrugged and called out, "Enter."

The door opened and in walked the medic.

"Hokage-sama, Haruno-san. I am the medic that has been chosen to examine Haruno-san. Is now a good time?"

"She's all yours." The nameless Uchiha then turned to Sakura.

"Please, follow me Haruno-san." Sakura rose to her feet. She exchanged a quick glance with Tsunade before exiting the room. On her way out she could hear Tsunade chuckle at the long suffering sigh that emitted from her lips.

:::

"How far along are you Haruno-san?" Sakura glanced at the medic as she pulled out a fetal doppler in case Sakura was far enough along to hear her baby's heartbeat.

"Not that far along. I'm almost eight weeks." At her reply the medic put the fetal doppler away.

"Hmm." She hummed, then handed her the traditional cup in order for her to urinate. Sakura's lips curled in distaste. She hated doing that! Why couldn't they just look up her hospital records? Or better yet, talk to Sasuke since he bullied her into making that first appointment to see Rin. Did they think she was making it up? It was completely impossible for her to mimic pregnancy, especially around trained ninja. It was their job to sniff out illusions and cons. Besides, Sakura was not the kind of girl to…she took the cup in a barely civil manner and stalked off to the bathroom.

:::

"She is without a doubt pregnant, Uchiha-san. She's going on eight weeks."

"Thank you. Your efforts are appreciated. Please don't disclose this information to anyone else."

"Of course not, Uchiha-san."

Itachi didn't bother to watch her leave. The words had hit him like a ton of bricks. She was really pregnant…with his child. He wasn't certain that he had ever doubted her, but his deep and furious anger at her for running to Sasuke made him loose his coveted composure and reason. He was an Uchiha, and while he was known for his control, he was still a son of fire. He had tried to convince his brother logically that it was best to step away from Sakura until things were settled between the two of them, but he should have known that the younger man wouldn't listen to reason. Green eyes and dark hair flashed through Itachi's mind, distracting him thoroughly. A daughter with those eyes and her smile. He wouldn't mind a daughter.

"What are you going to do Itachi? Is it yours?" Fugaku asked his eldest son. Itachi remained quiet, staring out the window at everything and nothing at once. His hands were clasped behind his back lightly, although he had to school himself to remain so. His mind kept replaying his final conversation with Sakura. She had looked so determined and cold. Had she really wanted to get away from him that desperately? To go to his brother-

He was angry, and that was putting it mildly. He had no idea what was going through her mind but there was one thing that Itachi was sure of. Sakura was his woman and no one else's. No one was going to stand between them. Not his father, not his mother, not the Hokage and certainly not his little brother. He had chosen her as his suitable companion, and he would turn the entire village upside down to return her to her rightful place, which was at his side.

"I'm going to go speak with her."

"And?"

"I'll convince her to marry me."

She would undoubtedly say no at first, but Sakura would listen to reason in the end. She was an intelligent woman, yes, and often driven by emotion. It was because of those two reasons she would realize that she belonged with him.

"Good. I think that course of action would be best for all."

"Even though Sasuke will hate me for this?" Itachi turned then and looked at his father, curious as to his reply. Sasuke's speech had not failed to touch him. He was reluctant to admit it but he was certain that his little brother was in love. It was a pity that they had to love the same woman since only he could have her. Itachi''s hands dropped to his side into fists as he suddenly remembered Sakura's words.

They had been together once, Sasuke and Sakura. He had touched her, loved her and it made Itachi angry, nearly blind with rage. It made him want to lash and out destroy any tangible object near him, but he couldn't lower himself to such deplorable behavior. Although, he did have the tendency to lash out verbally. His tongue was often very sharp. It cut deeper than any kunai and was colder than a bitter winter wind, but he never could feel the same satisfaction of winning when it was with words.

"Sasuke is young and foolish. In time, he'll find another woman."

Itachi wasn't quite sure that he believed those words, but he nodded curtly, walking swiftly out of his father's office in order to search for Haruno Sakura.

:::

She was busy at work and hadn't even noticed he was there. He took a moment to study her quietly. There was no medic anywhere near as thorough as Sakura. She moved this way and that accomplishing her tasks with calm proficiency. She was gentle but firm and one wouldn't guess she was pregnant unless they caught the slight catch in her breath and the slight loss of speed in her step.

Brilliant green eyes of a girl child that was his forced its way into his mind once more, but Itachi shoved the thoughts back and focused on Sakura and the efficiency of her movements. It was one of things that he always admired about her. It brought a half smile to his lips until he saw the fatigue in her eyes, but not in her movements. She was tired and working entirely too hard.

"Ino! Hurry up! They just brought in a patient with femoral hemorrhaging."

"What happened?"

"Kunai wound. Carelessness."

Ino nodded and the two women hurried off. He took note that there was a stiffness between the two of them that wasn't normally there. He pondered it for a moment, watching them from the shadows as they passed through a set of double doors marked 'Staff only'.

:::

"Itachi should be bringing that Haruno girl home later this evening."

Mikoto smiled softly, silently proud of her son. "He's apologizing to her?"

"He's proposing to her." Fugaku corrected.

Mikoto's face was a veil of confusion. "She's already engaged."

"Mikoto, the girl is carrying Itachi's child. She needs to marry him."

Mikoto stared at her husband. "No…she needs to marry Sasuke." It was Fugaku's turn to stare at his wife.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because Sakura has loved Sasuke since she was a child."

"She obviously didn't love him when she was lying up in Itachi's bed. Besides, I'm sure that was just a childish crush that she got over a long time ago."

"I don't believe you, Fugaku." Mikoto rose from where they were reclining together on the sofa and prepared to leave the room.

"What? What did I do _now _Mikoto?"

Mikoto turned and looked at Fugaku. Her eyes were soft and an endearing smile flitted across her lips. "Not every girl gets over their childhood crush."

"What are you saying, Mikoto? You have some kind of 'thing' for some man?" Fugaku's voice was dark and dangerous as he stared at his wife. She put her hands on her hips at his dangerous tone and put a dangerous look of her own in her eyes.

"As a matter of fact I'm very much in love with my childhood crush. Always have been. Always will be."

Fugaku was standing in front of Mikoto faster than she could blink. "Who is he?"

"If you don't know, why should I tell you?"

"You will tell me so that I can get rid of him."

"I'd like to see you try it." Mikoto muttered.

"Is he that great a shinobi?" Fugaku asked, his mind running through the possible men it could be. Surely not Hyuuga Hiashi. However, it did seem likely. Mikoto had been awfully chummy with him in their youth. Although, to Fugaku, awfully chummy meant that they spoke to each other every now and then. "You think that I couldn't defeat him? Well, damn it if I can't then I'll just have Itachi do it for me."

Mikoto stared at Fugaku with her mouth agape. To use her son like he was some sort of henchman- "You really are a stupid, stupid man. It's _you_ Fugaku. I've been in love with you since I was eleven years old."

"Well then I'll-" Fugaku broke off, realizing what his wife had just told him. "It's me?"

"Yes, it's you! Don't tell me you don't remember me following you around like a love sick puppy?"

Fugaku thought for a moment, searching his memory for such a thing. "Mikoto, I never even saw you until you were sixteen! Although…there was this scraggly little boy that used to follow me around. It was kind of creepy."

"Scraggly little boy?" Mikoto asked dangerously. "Fugaku-"

"Don't tell me that was you? Damn, you sure did get a lot better looking."

"I would be well within my rights to stab you right now."

But Fugaku didn't hear her words. In fact, he was reveling in the fact that his wife had loved him since she was eleven.

"I had it even back then." Fugaku grabbed Mikoto and pulled her close. She resisted for a moment, but allowed him to hold her. He rested his chin on top of her head and she laid her head against his heart. Mikoto sighed as his warmth enveloped her.

"Fugaku, you really should stop Itachi before he proposes to Sakura."

"Why?"

"Fugaku, really, do you even listen to me?"

"Of course, I do. You've loved me forever remember?"

"…"

"Besides, can you imagine the power of a child between those two-"

"Fugaku…"

"I mean if you think Itachi was a prodigy, just think of what this-"

"Fugaku!"

"Yes, dear?"

"Sakura is in love with Sasuke."

"No she isn't, and even if she is she'll learn to love Itachi."

"Not everyone has your blind love of Itachi."

"You love him too, Mikoto."

"I do, indeed. I love him enough to know that him marrying Sakura would be a mistake. In her heart, especially now, he'll never measure up to Sasuke."

"That's ridiculous! Itachi is-"

"An exceptional ninja, yes, but that does not mean he'll be an exceptional husband and father. Women think of these things, too."

"Did you?"

"Yes, but I married you anyway."

Fugaku started to smile then stopped. "You're too flippant, Mikoto."

"Perhaps, but you married me anyway."

"Tch, she still needs to marry Itachi."

:::

The doors to the hospital had just closed behind her when she noticed that her pathway was being blocked by Uchiha Itachi. Sakura felt a pang in her heart and a strong sense of longing at the sight of him. She thought about trying to go around him, but that would be like waving a flag in front of a bull. He would see it as a challenge, and somehow they would end up in a broom closet. She decided to face him head on like the shinobi she was, and hopefully she'd come out of this with no bruises to her already wounded heart.

"What is it?"

"You look tired."

Sakura's eyes narrowed at the attempt at small talk. Something was going on. First the examination, and now a visit from Itachi. It was too much of a coincidence.

"People generally are once they finish working. Now could you please tell me what it is that you want so I can get home and rest?" Sakura didn't mention that she wouldn't hear the end of it if Sasuke came home after a week and she looked like she felt.

"Walk with me."

Knowing she had no choice, Sakura bit back a sigh and began walking, trying not to smell the scent of sandalwood and winter wind as he fell into tandem step beside her. He said nothing for about half of their journey, and it made Sakura uneasy. She clasped her hands together in front of her, hoping he would get to the point soon. She found herself unwilling to prod because she was afraid of what it was that he desired to speak to her about. Sasuke's conversation with him yesterday was still unclear.

"You will be _my _bride."

Sakura stumbled and Itachi reached out to steady her. She pulled away from him quickly, as if he had burned her. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest. Had he just said the word 'bride'? Why would he even mention marriage to her of all people?

"W-what?" Sakura stumbled all over her words, feeling a bit embarrassed that he had her so flustered.

"I wish to marry you-with your consent."

Sakura stared at him with her mouth agape. She was pretty sure that pregnancy didn't induce hallucinations so everything she was hearing was _actually _coming out of Itachi's mouth.

"I'm already engaged," Sakura said dumbly.

"But you're not married. It's a situation that can be easily rectified."

"But…why?" Suddenly the answer came to Sakura. Her hands flew to her stomach protectively. "Oh…I understand." For a brief moment she had indulged herself in her fantasies thinking that Itachi actually cared for her and wanted her in his life. She chuckled darkly. Would she never rid herself of her stupidity?

"You do? Last time you uttered those words you didn't see at all."

Anger bubbled forth before she could taper it down. "I understood that situation completely, just as I understand this one. I understand that you care for Sasuke and think he's making a mistake, but there's no need for you to sacrifice yourself on his behalf. If Sasuke had any doubts or reservations about marrying me, then he wouldn't do it."

"You are carrying my child, are you not?"

"No." Itachi's brow rose in askance and Sakura was quick to fill him in. "This child belongs to me and Sasuke. No one else can claim it."

Itachi watched her silently, wondering how such a small woman could be so obstinate. Finally, after a while he spoke up. "So you were the one who put that foolishness in his head."

Sakura smiled wryly, momentarily letting go of her anger. "Actually, he was the one who put it in mine. Now, if that is all you wish to discuss then goodbye Itachi."

Sakura took a step forward, but his hand wrapped around her upper arm in a steel, no nonsense grip that warned her that he meant business. She was not leaving before he was ready. She thought she could probably break his hold easily, but she was too tired to find out.

"Marrying a man you don't love, namely my brother, is the quickest way to make him miserable for the rest of his life. Is that what you want? Sasuke's unhappiness?"

"I plan on doing everything I can to make sure Sasuke is happy. However, if you feel so strongly about _Sasuke's_ happiness, you should look within. You seem to be the only thing making him unhappy." Itachi released her then, surprised by her words while Sakura took advantage of the situation and continued home.

Itachi watched her walk away frowning at her words. She had pushed the right button and he knew it. He loved his little brother more than could be imagined. He'd shed blood and tears to keep his brother safe and protected. He'd sacrificed all of his own peace and happiness to ensure that Sasuke lived his life to the fullest, and Itachi was prepared to continue this practice. However, while he would gladly lie down his life for Sasuke, there was one thing that he couldn't do, no there was one thing he _wouldn't_ do.

Itachi would not let him have his woman.

:::

Sakura finally arrived home and threw herself on her bed smiling as she thought of Sasuke's reaction if he had saw her take such an action.

'Sakura, don't do that you could hurt the baby!'

She could almost hear the words coming out of his mouth. The smile slowly died as she thought of all she had been through that day. She staunchly refused to think of Itachi's proposal. She could have been prepared for it Sasuke had only deigned to talk to her before he left. Needless to say Sakura was less than happy with Uchiha Sasuke and in utter denial about the turmoil Itachi's proposal had left her in.

_My thanks to BlueArcticWolf_


	7. Bitter Warfare

_Title**: **Bittersweet_

_Rating: T_

_Pairing**: **ItaSakuSasu_

_Genre: Family/Romance/General_

_Beta-BlueArcticWolf-thank you dahling_

_**Chapter Seven**_

_**Tug of War**_

Sasuke frowned at the look on Sakura's face as he walked into her apartment. There was something distinctly evil in her eyes as she watched his every movement. At first glance he had thought the intensity of her gaze was desire and it startled and pleased him, but upon further inspection Sasuke realized that he was gazing into the face of darkness and he needed to proceed with caution. Something was eating at her, he was pretty sure he knew what it was, but just to be sure he figured it would probably be best if he just gave a little push to get it off her chest and out of the way.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Perhaps his words were not delicately put, but Uchiha Sasuke was not known for his delicacy.

Sakura gave him a brittle smile. "What's wrong with me?" The brittle smile broke, turning into a sneer. Sasuke almost rolled his eyes. Sakura was so melodramatic…even more so now that she was expecting. He had been gone for a week and a half and the only thing he wanted to do was lie down, wrap his arms around Sakura and go to sleep. Of course, she never did do what he wanted. It was typical for her to be ready to fight when he only wanted to rest.

"Yes, Sakura. What's wrong with you?"

"I'm pregnant." Sakura hissed. Sasuke gave her a look that questioned her intelligence. She sniffed and continued, "Well, at least it has been made official by the Uchiha clan."

"Sakura-wait, what?"

"Your father wanted an Uchiha medic to examine me while you were gone to make sure I wasn't lying about my pregnancy."

Sasuke's face grew dark with rage. Did his father honestly think that Sakura would lie about her pregnancy? Sasuke growled low in his throat. He wouldn't allow anyone to slander Sakura's name, and he turned to go and explain this to his father, intent on using his fists to help back him up. However, Sakura's voice stopped him cold.

"Don't. This is your fault, not his."

Sasuke turned around and looked at her incredulously. "How is this _my_ fault?"

"You should have told me that he doubted my pregnancy before you left. You knew, didn't you?"

Sasuke shifted guiltily, knowing that this mission hadn't 'suddenly' popped up, however it was not for the reasons she expected, but he'd be damned before he admitted it

. "Were you harmed?"

"Of course not! As if I would allow that, but that has nothing to do with this. Answer my question. Did you know that they doubted my integrity?"

"Yes." However, he didn't think his father would take it this far. Sasuke had been certain that his word would have been enough, but when had his father ever trusted him? She was right. This was his fault. He knew better than to underestimate his father. The man had never been afraid of breaking rules and crossing boundaries. Why would this situation be any different?

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sasuke watched as her eyes filled with tears. Sasuke decided he hated mood swings and hormonal women. He also hated tears, especially Sakura's. They were one of his only weaknesses.

"You should tell me things like this Sasuke."

Sasuke crossed the room and took Sakura's hand in his. He ran his thumb across her knuckles soothingly.

"Sakura, it doesn't matter what they think. I know you're pregnant. I know you're going to be my wife. Anything else is irrelevant." He was sincere, his black eyes boring into her green ones, but the fall of tears did not stop. He felt a pang in his heart just seeing her silent crying. He was tempted to turn away from her, but that would be cowardly. Uchiha Sasuke was no coward.

"They're your family, Sasuke. They're going to be your family for the rest of your life, and so will I. I'm asking you, in the future, if there are any problems with your family that you share them with me."

"Sakura-"

"Sasuke, _please_."

It was the please that did it. She looked so upset, so hurt that he knew he'd do anything to appease her. Sasuke sighed and nodded. Sakura gave him a beatific smile that made some of the tension he felt ease out of his shoulders.

"Is there anything else I need to know about?" Sasuke saw something flicker across her eyes and knew she was hiding something.

"What is it, Sakura?" When she didn't reply he said, "Don't be a hypocrite."

Sakura made a face at him and then, "I spoke with…Itachi."

"About?"

"He still wants us to end the engagement."

The knot that had formed in Sasuke's stomach unfurled. For one moment he thought they had spoken of eliminating him from the picture. Neither had any idea just how far he was willing to go to keep Sakura by his side. With luck, they would never have to.

"He can 'want' all he wants."

"Sasuke, I thought you talked to him. You were supposed to make things right between the two of you. What exactly did you say?"

Sasuke locked eyes with her. "It doesn't matter."

"Sasuke…"

"Sakura, did you find a wedding kimono?" Sasuke asked, deftly changing the subject. Sakura's eyes narrowed, knowing a distraction when it was thrown in her face.

"Sasuke!"

"We're getting married in a few days, Sakura. What are you going to wear? Your ninja gear?"

Sakura frowned at such a distasteful thought. "Of course not! I've decided to wear my mother's dress."

Sasuke watched her carefully. Her mother had died several years back during an attack on the village. It had been devastating to the young woman, especially since her mother was one of the few casualties. The boys had been extra protective of her since then, knowing that any mentions of Mrs. Haruno had reduced Sakura to sobs.

However, Sakura's father was very much alive and Sakura had no idea where he was. Sasuke remembered her telling him that her father was a rolling stone. The last time she had saw him was shortly before they had taken the chunnin exams; the man hadn't stayed long enough to see whether or not she passed. Sasuke wasn't even sure he spoke to Sakura at all.

"You sure you can fit into it? You're looking a little round in the middle."

"You bastard! I haven't gained any weight yet!"

"You sure? I've been gone for a while and now that I've come back you look a little pudgy."

Sakura glared at him and he smothered the smirk that was threatening to form on his lips. She probably wouldn't let him curl up around her tonight, but that was okay. At least, he had distracted her from questions of his brother.

:::

"I asked her to marry me." Sasuke stared at his brother, briefly shocked and then angry. He had come home to gather a few more things to take to Sakura's place when he found his brother filling the entryway to his room. "Did she tell you?" Itachi watched as Sasuke struggled to process his little piece of information. He saw anger and disbelief, and for a moment the older Uchiha toyed with the hope that these emotions were the product of a teammate and friend. However, the livid look on Sasuke's face and the sparks of lightning licking across his knuckles said otherwise.

Sasuke grit his teeth. He knew she had been hiding something last night, but he hadn't taken the time to prod the issue. He now realized that he should have. He supposed it was his fault as well; if he hadn't been so focused on keeping her from knowing certain details of that discussion then he would have remembered to make her tell him what happened with his brother. It was too late for that now. What's done is done and can't be undone. He would just have to make the best of it.

"No, she didn't. I suppose it was of little consequence," Sasuke said with a shrug of his shoulders, unable to help antagonizing his brother.

"Really? I suppose you're okay with the fact that she thought about it." No, he was not okay with that. Just the thought of it enraged him. Worse than that, Itachi knew he wasn't okay with this.

"I guess she would given her situation, but the fact remains that she's marrying me." Sasuke allowed himself to smirk, knowing that it got under Itachi's skin. The slight narrowing of Itachi's eyes let Sasuke know he was on the right track.

"Little brother, I'm going to ask you one time to step aside. This thing with Haruno has nothing to do with you. Let us settle it like adults."

"There's nothing to settle, brother. I've always had every intention of making Sakura my wife. I would have done so sooner if it hadn't been for Father."

"What are you talking about?"

Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets. "A while back, Sakura and I were dating. I asked Father for permission to ask for her hand. You know, usual clan stuff. He refused."

"Why do I know nothing of this?"

"Because it wasn't something I felt like sharing. Anyway, he wanted me to date other people first before settling down, so-" Sasuke broke off. He didn't like this story. He didn't like thinking about it. He didn't like telling it. The whole situation was nothing more than a nuisance, and it was a story that didn't end the way it should have.

Itachi stared at his brother, not asking for details that he could just get from his father later.

"Things were not finished between Haruno and I."

Sasuke's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"I never had any intention of letting her go either." Sasuke stared at Itachi, stunned.

"What? Didn't you leave her?"

"No. She left me."

Itachi waited for Sasuke to absorb those words, which he did relatively quickly.

"All the more reason for you to let this go. If she left then she had good reason. She belongs with me, brother."

"She's mine, Sasuke."

"No. She's mine. I have the engagement to prove it."

"Engagements can be broken."

"In three days? Good luck with that." It was a challenge that Sasuke unwittingly threw into Itachi's face. His brother stepped forward, those years of training and intimidating ANBU recruits coming into play. Sasuke tightened a fist and forced himself to remain still. He would not let Itachi push him around, no matter how frightening he was.

"I'll do what I must. Just remember that you were warned."

Sasuke was about to utter an angry retort when his brother disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

:::

Sasuke realized later that his brother's confrontation was, in short, a love confession.

He was certain his brother was worried for him and the outcome of the relationship. Itachi would always love his brother, no matter what and Sasuke knew this without a shadow of a doubt. But, it wasn't fear for Sasuke and his happiness that had Itachi so determined to break this relationship apart, and Sasuke knew his brother wasn't even trying yet.

Itachi was in love with Sakura.

He loved her, he had her in his grasp, and somehow he'd managed to screw it up. A part of Sasuke felt sorry for him because he knew what it was like to lose the woman out of some act of stupidity and glib explanations. The only difference between his situation and Itachi's was that he got a second chance-Itachi would _never _get that chance. Sasuke was going to ensure it.

"What are you thinking about?"

Sasuke raised his head and looked into those green eyes that shined at him brilliantly. Sakura stood over him as he sat, and Sasuke was close enough to see her light pink lashes as they occasionally brushed her cheeks. Her hair was swept off one shoulder and smelled of cinnamon. This was a very provocative pose and the dark shinobi couldn't help but pull the girl down onto his lap. She 'eeped' in surprise and Sasuke laughed softly.

"Sasuke, what are you doing?" A blush stained her cheeks and he found it amusing. After all this time she could still blush at being in his arms.

"I'm holding you," He replied. "You've been a little slow lately. Is this a symptom of pregnancy?"

Sakura hit Sasuke on the chest, causing him to chuckle. In her anger, she had lost a bit of her shyness and it pleased him. He much preferred an angry Sakura to a shy one, although he'd take either-because both made him happy.

"No, it's just that being around _you _kills my brain cells. Maybe we should rethink this marriage thing."

Sasuke's brow twitched and he pulled Sakura closer to him so that his face was buried in her chest. Sakura stopped breathing for a moment when he began nuzzling his face in the valley her breasts. A long moan escaped her lips when she felt him nip at her covered breasts. Another moan of loss escaped her when he pulled away from her and looked up into her face.

"No more talk of rethinking our marriage."

Sakura nodded her head and bit back yet another groan when he only laid his head against her chest, once more holding her in his arms.

:::

"Sasuke mentioned that he asked for your permission for Sakura' s hand once before."

Fugaku looked across the dinner table at his son, cursing him silently. That was information that was only shared between him and Sasuke. Mikoto hadn't known and he had intended to keep it that way. Now he was going to have a mess to clean up later.

"He did? I don't recall," Fugaku said in a way that was meant to end the conversation, but of course it wouldn't be that simple with his lovely wife in attendance.

Mikoto leaned forward with a serene smile on her face and suggested sweetly that he jog his memory. In turn, Fugaku scowled at Itachi. He knew better than to bring up such a topic in front of his mother.

"He was almost nineteen when he asked. Of course I said no! Eighteen is too young for a boy to get married."

"And you denied him because of that?" Mikoto asked incredulously.

"No man knows his own mind at eighteen, Mikoto."

"Perhaps not, but if there is any exception to the rule it would be Sasuke. He's never so much as looked at another woman in all this time. Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"Probably because I knew you'd react like this…" Fugaku murmured. Mikoto's eyes flashed angrily at her husband.

"He also mentioned you wanted him to date other people." Itachi interjected, not missing the hateful stare directed his way, but instead chose to ignore it.

"Who was she, Fugaku? Who was it that you thought that through marriage to Sasuke would make the clan more powerful?"

"It doesn't matter. It didn't go according to plan, anyway."

Tears sprang to Mikoto's eyes. "I am _so _disappointed in you, Fugaku. Don't you realize this whole situation is _all your fault_? They could have been married-happily married right now if you hadn't interfered." Mikoto pushed her chair back and rose to her feet.

"Where do you think you're going, Mikoto?" Fugaku asked dangerously.

"Away from you! I can't stand the sight of you right now."

She said not another word. The two men sat there in silence until they could no longer hear the angry thumping of her sock covered feet.

"Your timing is impeccable, Itachi," Fugaku growled sarcastically. Itachi shrugged and continued his meal. "I wasn't wrong in my actions," Fugaku continued on doggedly. "Eighteen _is _too young to be married. Am I wrong to want my son to wait, play the field for a while longer?"

"And perhaps fall for a girl who could potentially be a great help to the clan?"

"Exactly!" Fugaku said with a nod of his head. "How was I supposed to know that the Haruno girl would turn out to be so influential? How was I supposed to know that she'd end up on the team with not only the Hokage's future successor, but also with the successor after that…if he doesn't die first."

"You're no mind reader."

"See, I'm glad someone in this family understands. I don't know what to do with that woman sometimes," Fugaku said with a shake of his head.

"Tell me, father…what would you have done if Sasuke had run off with her back then?"

"I would have done what I had told him I'd do. He'd be exiled from the clan and he would never be able to see or speak to any of us again."

Itachi nodded his head. "Thank you for the information, Father. You're a wealth of knowledge and wisdom."

The sarcasm went straight over Fugaku's head just like it always did.

"At least someone in this family has the common sense to know that."


	8. Bitter Truth

_Title: Bittersweet_

_Genre: Family/Romance/Drama_

_Rating: T_

_Beta: BlueArcticWolf_

_Warnings: Slightly OOC Itachi, but then again, maybe not, given the situation…_

_A/N: So nervous about this chapter. :P_

_**Chapter Eight**_

_**The Bitter Truth**_

"How long are you going to give me the silent treatment, Mikoto?"

Fugaku's wife looked over her shoulder where she was skimming the bookshelves in his study for something suitable to read and sneered at him.

"That long, huh?" Fugaku leaned back in his chair and opened his desk drawer. He pulled out a long cigar and slipped it between his lips. He fumbled around for a moment or two looking for his lighter and being unable to find it, posed a question to his wife. "Mikoto, have you seen my lighter?" When he received no response from Mikoto he cursed silently, forgetting just that quickly that she wasn't talking to him. With a snarl, Fugaku tossed the cigar back in the desk with an angry huff. "Damn it, Mikoto! What should I have done? Let him marry her? They would've been divorced before they were even married. He was just a boy when he asked me to marry the girl! I only did what I thought was for the best."

Mikoto whirled around, her face the perfect picture of fine fury.

"That is the problem, Fugaku! You did what _you _thought was for the best. You always look at what you want, what you need, and miss the whole picture. Three lives, no, four. Four lives were ruined because of you!"

"You're overreacting-again. No one's life has been ruined."

"What about Itachi's child? You know, the child that will never know his birth father the way he was meant to."

"Itachi is going to marry that girl. That's a moot point."

"You think so?" Mikoto ground out between clenched teeth.

"I know so."

"Don't you have any concern for Sasuke and Sakura's feelings on this matter?"

"Frankly, Mikoto-I don't."

Mikoto stared at Fugaku, not believing her ears. Who was this man that she was staring at? Certainly, this wasn't her husband; the man she had known and loved for so long. Had she turned a blind eye to his faults? Did she really even know him? How could he not care what his actions had done to their family? What was wrong with him? In her fit of anger, Mikoto made a swift decision.

"I'm leaving you, Fugaku."

"You're going to the market?" Fugaku asked, immediately thinking that she had ended the conversation and was moving on to a different topic. He began fumbling through his drawer again determined to find his lighter. He was unaware of her silent approach to his desk so when he raised his head he was so startled that he jumped. Itachi's stealth did not come from him. "What?" He barked.

"I'm _leaving _you."

"Yeah, you told me. Be sure to bring home that stuff you need to make dango. I have a taste for it."

Mikoto stared at Fugaku a while. She had thought to press the issue and make him understand what she actually meant, but Fugaku was a man of action. He wouldn't believe her unless she made the move to back up her words. And so she would.

"Goodbye, Fugaku."

Fugaku merely grunted, not noticing that his wife had just left him for good.

:::

Sakura glanced up at the clock suddenly panicked. She had a mound of paperwork on her desk and she had fifteen minutes before Sasuke came and got her. There was no way in hell he was going to let her stay a while extra to finish it up. Sakura began to swear softly.

"I didn't know you knew those words, Haruno."

At the sound of the familiar voice coming from the shadows, Sakura froze. She turned her head to face him, wondering what he wanted this time. He stepped into the light and Sakura was struck by his beauty. It wasn't right that this man with the face of an angel had the heart of a demon. He was striking and otherworldly as he stood before her, cloaked in shadows.

"I know a lot of things, Itachi." She lowered her head and continued on with her paperwork, hoping that ignoring him would make him go away. A smirk formed on Sakura's lips. Like that worked with anything.

He walked over to her, around her desk to peer over her shoulders to get a good look at what she was working on. Sakura used her upper body to cover her work. "This is confidential information. I would appreciate it if you would back up and give me some space and privacy."

He said nothing in response, only took a few steps back. His silence disconcerted her and she knew that she wasn't going to able to use her last few minutes to get some work done-especially since he had given her a little room, but not enough so that he couldn't still touch her. In fact, his hand reached out and grabbed a lock of her hair, twirling it around his finger idly. She remembered the way those fingers played with her hair in the afterglow of their passion. It was one of the few things that allowed her to believe they were bound together. It was one of the few things that reminded her that he was human.

"What do you want?" Her words came out shaky and breathless and she cursed herself for it. She couldn't bear to turn around and see the look on his face. If it held any gentleness to it she was certain she'd burst into tears.

"You."

Of course, it would turn out that she didn't need to see him in order from him to evoke such heart wrenching sorrow from her. Tears streamed silently down her cheeks at his simple proclamation. Sakura bit her lower lip to keep from making a sound until she could compose herself. Discreetly she wiped at her face and thereafter hardened her heart against the man.

"You had me, but you tossed me away."

"You walked away. There's a difference."

"You told me that you had no intention of marrying me! That you had just used me! Why would I stay with you after that?"

"I told you I'd marry the woman my clan chose for me. I told you that this thing between us was just sex. You never gave me the opportunity to say more."

"What more was there to be said?"

"Are you finally ready to hear what I have to say?"

"I just said that, didn't I? Tell me, what else could you have possibly said that day? How could you have hurt me any more than you already did?"

"Be silent and hear my words—and do not jump to conclusions as you are wont to do." He settled himself against the window pane behind him, saying nothing at first. This only served to infuriate Sakura. How dare he ask to listen to her and yet not say a word? Yet Sakura managed to keep a stony silence even though she was aching to tear him a new one.

"This thing between us is just sex." Sakura bit back a howl of rage at hearing the same hurtful malicious words twice. "I will marry the woman my clan chooses for me." Sakura hands gripped her desk, trying hard not to break it. "But if you wish it, if it is what you desire, then I will use every power at my disposal to ensure that you are the woman that is chosen." Itachi paused for a moment letting his words sink in. "If you don't desire to be at my side then it matters little who they chose for me. I'll always simply want you."

"You—"

"No, this time you will not cut me off with disparaging remarks. Listen to the words you would have heard had you decided to have faith in me." Itachi studied Sakura's stiff form for a moment and then proceeded to pull her to her feet. He raised her chin and looked into her eyes that shimmered with tears unshed. "Do you really think me that kind of man, Sakura? The kind that would use your body then and toss you aside? That's not the type of person I was raised to be, that's not the man that I am and you know that. Before I was certain that you were just being presumptuous and your anger got the best of you. I was certain that in time you calm down and seek me out to see that there was more to be said, more to be heard that day. We have had disagreements before."

"No, Itachi you treated me like I was some sort of strumpet and I'm not."

"Is that the way you remember us? Or is that the way you remember our final conversation?"

"That conversation defined who we were."

"You are wrong. _This _is the conversation that defines us. Did I ever treat you as anything other than my only desire? Have I ever made you feel as if I thought you weren't worthy of me?" Sakura didn't dare reply but Itachi plowed forward disregarding her silence. "Do you think us being together like this was a mere coincidence? Do you believe the feelings I have for you to be so insignificant?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you even believe I just happened to be nearby that day in the hospital—the day you spilled those files all over the floor?"

Sakura's brow furrowed. What was he trying to say? That he wanted her _before _she wanted him? That-

"I didn't. The fact of the matter was that even before you knew it, you fascinated me. The only thing I wanted to do was get to study you, get to know you, to see what makes you tick, but somewhere along the way things changed. That day on top of the Hokage monument I don't think I've ever seen a woman as beautiful as you were that night."

"Stop it! Just stop it!"

"No, you will hear what I say, and then you may choose as you see fit. Not before then. I'm not going to let you just walk out of my life with you thinking me some sort of villain, not without knowing the truth—the full truth."

Sakura moved away but Itachi grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her hair. His lips brushed against her ear as he whispered softly, "The wind blew your hair askew as you walked over to my side. That same wind blew your scent my way. It was always my favorite on you. You smelled of cinnamon and apricots. Even now you smell the same." Itachi inhaled briefly. "Your eyes were nervous and I couldn't understand why. Why did I make you nervous?"

"You were Uchiha Itachi," Sakura said, her lip trembling and her arms fighting not to embrace him in return. "The Uchiha clan heir; a man to be feared and respected. You were out of my reach."

"And yet you never realized that you were the only woman who could reach me," Itachi countered, "because all I wanted was to be near you in whatever way possible. Be it just as friends or lovers or whatever way you would have me."

"Why didn't you explain all this before? If you had just told me these things that day then, then…."

"You were angry. I merely wished to give you time to cool down. As I said before I thought with a little time you would realize that there was more to be said and yet—" Itachi broke off, running his hand through his hair. "Damn it Sakura, why my brother? My brother of all people! How could you get him involved in this? How could you leave me for him? Don't you know how much you will hurt him? Don't you know that I belong to you, with you?" Had it been any other man, a few simple threats would have done the trick. With Sasuke, it was like trying to take the younger man's heart from his chest. Itachi had to admit that his brother was no longer inferior, and worse, he would have to break Sasuke's heart before all of this was done.

"No. No. I do not believe you, Itachi. I will not. You belong to your clan and all your words are nothing more than lies. What about when I came to see you when you were training with Shisui? You had no use for any 'foolish love confessions'. What about that, Itachi? What about that?" Sakura ended with a yell, pushing Itachi back from her and stumbling backwards. Itachi reached out a hand to steady her but she smacked it away.

"Of what use are words—especially if you do not mean them? How can you love if you don't trust? I believe in action, Sakura. If you loved me-"

"I do love you! I love you so much, but you ripped my heart out Itachi."

"And loving me entails running to Sasuke the first time there's a sign of trouble?" The bitter words tumbled forth from his lips before he could stop them. They only served to make Sakura's eyes flash with anger.

"I did not _run _to Sasuke. He came to me which is a hell of a lot more than I can say about you. He was my friend when I needed one, when I needed _you._ Every time I tried to talk to you, to tell you about our child, you did nothing but hurt me! Even then you proclaimed it was only about sex!"

"You are right, I did. I was wrong for that, I know, but I wanted to hurt you the way you hurt me, Sakura."

Their voices became louder and more forceful. Each was determined to drown out the other.

"Hurt _you_?"

"You heard me. With just a few words you managed to paint a completely different picture of me in your mind. Do you know how that felt? To see the woman who means what you do to me cast you in the role of a womanizer? The consideration of other people's feelings is not your forte, Sakura."

"Stop it! Don't speak to me like that! You, of all people, have no right to speak of hurting other's feelings! And even if I did there's such a thing as crossing the line, Itachi! You went too far!"

"If I crossed lines, Sakura, you did too."

"Don't you dare try to make this all my fault! You're to blame too, Itachi!"

"It doesn't matter whose fault it is! We can fix this. We _can _fix this. Give us a chance to try. For your sake, for my sake, for the sake of our family." Itachi placed his hands on her shoulders, shaking her gently. His touch felt almost desperate and Sakura could not bear it. She moved away from him, needing to put distance between them lest she fall into the trap she knew he was trying to set. Itachi fought not to pull her back. He was certain she felt cornered because he, himself, certainly felt that way. Things weren't going the way they should. The anger between was escalating to astronomical heights which was not what he wanted. All he wanted…was her. "What would you have me do, Sakura? Beg? Emasculate myself? Shall I drop down on my knees for you?" Sakura scoffed softly but Itachi's ears picked up on the soft sound. "Do you think I won't do it? In your mind is Uchiha Itachi one to never lower himself to something such as begging?" Itachi paused. "You would be right, then. I would never lower myself to any person in such a fashion-but you are not 'any person', Sakura." Itachi immediately dropped to his knees. The thud of him hitting the ground made Sakura flinch. "Sakura, _Sakura." _He said when she wouldn't look at him. "If possible I would take your pain and make it my own so that you would not have to suffer, but I cannot. I cannot even promise you that I won't hurt you more in the future—but I can beg you to stay at my side. I can ask you for the chance to show you that you can be happy with me. I know I made mistakes, but you know that I'm not the type to make the same mistakes twice. I'm well aware that I am viewed as a hard, cold man, but at least with you I know of warmth. Would you be so cruel as to take that from me and cast me into cold darkness? Sakura…please."

Sakura closed her eyes and bit back tears. She couldn't stand to see him kneeling before her, seemingly defeated. They were the most words she had ever heard him utter since they had been together. Itachi Uchiha was not a man easily brought down, but it seemed she had done it in just a few weeks. Had it all been a misunderstanding? Had she allowed her pride to consume her? Had it been her stubbornness that drove him away? These thoughts were a bitter pill to swallow.

Itachi rose to his feet and moved over to Sakura and pulled her back against his chest. Her small frame trembled in his arms and he sought to sooth her.

"You wouldn't even say my name Itachi. With everything between us you couldn't just say a simple 'Sakura' and it killed me Itachi. It hurt so much-especially to hear you say it now that things are all over between us."

"This doesn't have to be the end. You know how I feel about you. _You know_. You were never wrong, not about that. Shakespeare said, 'a rose by any other name would smell as sweet' so whether I call you Haruno or Sakura or even 'hey you' my feelings remain the same. They will not waver. They will not change." He was relieved when she settled into him, and it felt right. However, the feelings didn't last when an unwelcome third member suddenly appeared in the doorway. Sakura immediately moved away from him and Itachi forced himself to remain impassive.

The door to her office opened, revealing Sasuke to be standing in the door frame. Sasuke took one look at Sakura's tear stained face and another at Itachi who hovered behind her, looking as if he would steal her away at any moment and scowled.

He hadn't actually thought that his brother would try to steal Sakura away from him-or rather he hadn't thought that he could. One glance at Sakura's face at that moment told him otherwise. The three of them were standing on a precipice of change and if he didn't act now then he would lose her. But, really, what could he do? She believed her heart lay with his brother. That kind of made things difficult.

"Sakura." At the sound of his voice her eyes snapped to his.

"Sasuke!" Was it his imagination or did he hear a breathy sound of relief in her voice? It eased some of the tension that wrapped itself around his heart to imagine that he had.

"Are you ready to go home?"

She stood up quickly and rushed to his side-which was a first. Usually, he almost had to literally drag her out of her office and sometimes threaten her with bodily harm. What had Itachi said to her to make her flee as if hell's hounds were on her heels? Sasuke slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. Her arm immediately circled his waist and clutched at his shirt. Sasuke glanced back at his brother who only stared at him coolly. It seemed that the war had begun.

:::

She didn't have anyone she could talk to. She was all alone with her tormenting thoughts. Thoughts of Itachi.

Sasuke brought her home silently and she could tell that he was worried. In all honesty he had every right to be. She was wavering-and she shouldn't be. She had made up her mind and decided to marry Sasuke.

A person who didn't let their yes mean yes was the worst type.

But, it had all been a big misunderstanding…

No, it hadn't. If that was the case why had he been so cold and callous when he found that she was pregnant with his child? Well, that could be explained away by saying that he found out she was pregnant and marrying Sasuke all in one night. He had to have been angry that she had run to Sasuke.

Sasuke….

Sakura's mind rolled back to him.

She was thinking of doing the one thing that she had secretly promised herself that she wouldn't do-and that was hurt Sasuke. He had been her confidant, her friend, her fiancé, and this was how she was repaying him for his kindness.

By thinking of running off with his brother…

"Sakura?"

They lay in her bed, no, their bed. Sasuke lay behind her-not touching but close enough so that she could feel the warmth of his body. Under normal circumstances he'd wrap his arms around her and pull her close to his chest. He'd lay his palm across her waist and lightly caress her stomach-but not this night. This night he sensed she needed a bit of space and so he lay close enough for her to reach him, but she would have to do just that if she wanted him. Reach for him.

"Yes?"

"I know what you're thinking. Don't agonize over it-not tonight. Your worries will still be here tomorrow. So tonight…just sleep."

With those words he confirmed her worst thoughts. He knew that she was thinking of leaving him for Itachi and it killed her that such misunderstanding could have brought this much pain. It was her fault. If, perhaps, she had talked more to Itachi that fateful day instead of getting up in arms about the situation then things would be different. She knew him well enough to know he was glib and spoke in code. She should have seen that there was more to the situation than what had been said. There was _always _more than meets the eye with Uchiha Itachi. For her to be so intelligent she was so very stupid.

How many other things had she misinterpreted?

And suddenly Sakura was struck by an errant thought. She rolled over and faced Sasuke. He lay on his side with his eyes closed. One arm lay tucked beneath his pillow and the other arm was reaching out towards her as if he wanted to touch her but couldn't quite bring himself to. He wasn't asleep, though. It took Sasuke quite some time to fall asleep.

"Sasuke?"

"Hmm?" He answered without opening his eyes.

"You told me that you never wanted to break up with me. If that was the case why did you want to see other women?"

"I didn't."

"But you said-"

"I told you that I'd be dating other women for a while. I never said I wanted to."

"But why would you date other people if you didn't want to? That makes absolutely no sense. Why would you break up with me for nothing?"

Sasuke sighed. "Do you really want to go into this?"

"I think I have a right to know."

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes and focused them on her. She took a moment to be jealous of his long dark lashes that no woman naturally had. She used to joke with Ino that since no women had such beautiful lashes-only men did- that it should be a sign of male beauty. If such was the case then Sasuke would be one of the most beautiful men in the world.

"Fine. First off, I didn't break up with you. You broke up with me." Sakura opened her mouth to argue, but Sasuke placed one of his fingers on her lips. "You wanted to hear, so listen." Sakura pursed her lips and nodded her head but Sasuke didn't remove his finger. Instead, he began to idly trail it across her lips. Sakura felt some emotion that she refused to name pool in the pit of her stomach. "I asked my father for permission to marry you." Sakura's eyes grew large and she tried to speak once more but Sasuke tapped her lips gently. "Listen." Once Sakura nodded her head in agreement he continued to speak. "He was against it. He claimed that I was too young to get married." Sakura frowned. They had been young, but she knew had he asked her to marry him she would have said yes with no hesitation. She had loved Sasuke _so _much that her heart ached just thinking about it. "He wanted me to date other women first before settling down. Which I had planned on doing and once my father saw that no other woman was acceptable but you I planned to marry you."

Sakura waited a brief second, to see if he would say more. When it seemed he had nothing further to add she opened her mouth to question him. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

"Sakura, you're not an easy woman to talk to when you're angry."

"You should have made me listen."

"This from the woman who threatens me with bodily harm whenever I try to 'make' her do anything."

"Sasuke! This was important. You should have made me listen!"

"What does it matter anyway, Sakura? You're leaving me for Itachi."

Sakura gasped. She hadn't expected him to say the words out loud, but Sasuke was nothing if not blunt. She had hoped to come up with a better way to tell him that she was leaning in that direction, but now she found herself confused. Two misunderstandings in one lifetime with men she loved with her whole heart.

It wasn't right.

It wasn't fair.

But when had fate been kind to her?

"I never said that."

"Sakura, it's written all over your face." Of course he saw it. He knew her better than anyone. He had seen the indecision in her eyes and chose to protect himself. Sasuke had shields around his heart a mile thick, and it hurt Sakura deeply to know that she had caused him to hide behind them. The distance he was putting between them was his way of preparing for heartbreak.

"Sasuke, why didn't you tell me?" Sasuke sighed and sat up. Sakura didn't follow suit, instead she let her eyes raise up and watch his form.

"Sakura, I really didn't expect you to be as upset as you were with the prospect of me seeing other people." Sasuke raised up his hand, knowing she was about to interrupt him. "But I should have known. The honest truth is that I let my selfishness come first. Father was going to cut me off from the clan if I married you in spite of his wishes, and I didn't want to be separated from the rest my family. I didn't want to lose you. It seemed as if it would have been a win-win situation to just do things the way my father suggested. I was wrong, though. It was a miscalculation, and in the end I lost you, which was unexpected, unpleasant, and it damn near killed me Sakura. I-"

Sakura rolled out of the bed and came to her feet. She couldn't hear anymore. She couldn't take it. It was like she was losing what they had all over again. Unfortunately, the rapid motion made her a bit queasy. Suddenly a bit turned into a lot and Sakura found herself rushing to the bathroom. She sensed Sasuke's presence in the room with her. She raised her head to look at him only to find a cup of water for her to rinse her mouth out with and her toothbrush ready to be used.

She had become rather obsessive about brushing her teeth after she hurled.

In those moments she realized that this second, this moment in time that she was experiencing with Sasuke was extremely intimate-and she felt no discomfort. In fact, she could honestly say that she was happy that he was there by her side. She didn't want to leave him and that left her all the more confused.

:::

"Uchiha-san, what are you doing here?"

Sakura's troublesome thoughts wouldn't allow her to stay home. It was the day before her wedding and she was working. Ridiculous, really, but there was nothing left to be done seeing as Sasuke had handled everything. He knew her well enough to know what she liked and disliked so she knew that there would be no need to kill him over some odd decision. She still didn't know if there was actually going to be a wedding, but Sasuke kept moving as if there was going to be one. The thought pained her.

Mikoto smiled at Sakura gently. After visiting her apartment and finding her absent, Mikoto had gone looking for her son in hopes of finding his missing fiancé. He had informed her that she had gone to work since the wedding preparations were taken care of. Sasuke's voice was carefully guarded when he gave her this information and Mikoto knew immediately something was wrong-and it had everything to do with Fugaku.

"Call me Mikoto," She said instantly. "I've come to take you out of here. It shouldn't be a problem if you leave early since you weren't supposed to be here anyway." Mikoto said glancing around the hospital seeing very few people about.

Sakura bit her lip. She didn't really want to leave, especially not with Sasuke's mother, but she supposed that being at work on the eve before her wedding looked entirely too suspicious. Sakura nodded her head and spoke to her subordinates, letting them know she was leaving for the day. Several gave their felicitations on her impending marriage and her smile felt brittle as she accepted them.

Sakura left the hospital with Mikoto at her side. The older woman said nothing, even though she definitely had a lot to say. She held her words because there were a few things she needed to know from Sakura before she proceeded.

They arrived at a restaurant of Mikoto's choice since Sakura really had no preference that particular day. They were seated at a booth and they both ordered before Mikoto spoke up.

"Fugaku tells me that Itachi plans to ask you to marry him. Has he done so?"

Sakura froze. She hadn't been aware that his proposal was public knowledge, although she wasn't sure why. There were very few secrets in the Uchiha clan. She should have been more surprised that her relationship with Itachi had been kept secret for as long as it had.

"He has," Sakura said, avoiding Mikoto's eyes. Not that they looked at her in an accusing or excusing manner, but those eyes were Itachi's eyes. The woman was calmly watching her and somehow that made it all worse.

"I'm assuming you refused him then since I haven't heard any changes in the wedding preparations."

"I did," Sakura said woodenly and Mikoto sighed. Sakura was obviously unsettled by her visit, and this grieved Mikoto. Once upon a time they had been so close-almost like best friends or even better, mother and daughter. Before she never would have had to tell Sakura to address her by her first name. It was funny how life changed so suddenly.

"Sakura, I haven't come to condemn you or give you a hard time. I'm here, today as a woman, no, a mother who is concerned about her children."

"I know that."

"Then what are you going to do?"

Sakura stared down at the table, her hands neatly folded on top. Mikoto reached across and placed her hand on top of Sakura's. Sakura's eyes quickly rose to Mikoto's, who was finally showing some sort of emotion. One that nearly brought her to tears.

Pity.

Mikoto was looking at her with pity.

"I don't know," Sakura whispered. "I don't know what to do. I messed up. I messed up really bad with both of them."

Mikoto sighed at the distress on Sakura's face. It would be best to get this situation resolved as soon as possible. This wasn't good for her or her granddaughter. Yes, granddaughter. Mikoto was certain that this time she would finally hold a girl in her arms. She'd be able to buy pretty dresses and bows and-

Mikoto's thoughts faltered. What else did you do with girls? Raising two knuckleheaded boys had left her a bit clueless. Mikoto shook her head pulling herself out of her grandbaby-induced daze.

"You're making this harder than it has to be, Sakura. Just ask yourself one simple question." Mikoto paused until she was certain she had Sakura's full attention. "Who do you love more?"

Sakura shook her head immediately. "It's not as simple as that."

"It is," Mikoto contradicted. "Whoever you don't chose will get over it in time. Marriage is a lifetime commitment." Mikoto almost rolled her eyes feeling like a hypocrite. "You have to think about the future. In the long run who will you love despite everything? Who can you see as the father of your children? Who can you just plain old tolerate more? Who makes you happy?"

The last question sparked an immediate answer in Sakura's mind. Mikoto saw the light that shone in her eyes and realized that if Sakura hadn't come to a decision now, she would soon and Mikoto was satisfied.


	9. Bitter Tears

_Title: Bittersweet_

_Genre: Family/Drama/Romance_

_Rating: T_

_Pairing: ItaSakuSasu_

_Beta: BlueArcticWolf_

_**A/N: Just to dispel a few rumors…this is not the last chapter. This isn't even near the end yet. So...yeah. **_

_**Chapter Nine**_

_**Bitter Tears**_

Sasuke was barely awake the next morning when he immediately reached out for Sakura. His arm froze in mid-air once he remembered everything. He suppressed the rage he felt at the thought of potentially losing her. However, with the clearing of sleep from his mind Sasuke was faced with the realization that she was already gone. He had lost her, and it was then that some dark part wondered if he'd ever really had her at all. His long fingers found the note, crumpling it without reading the painful words, tossing it to the ground as he slumped back down into the bed. He refused to acknowledge the bitter tears that coursed down his cheeks.

:::

She found him at his home in his bedroom. Wisps of light were starting to stream into the room, illuminating his form. He stood at the window wearing nothing but a pair of black pajama bottoms. Sakura knew then either he had not slept or he had woken earlier than she, because Itachi slept in the nude-except when on missions. The thought of him not sleeping sent a pang through her heart and as usual she wanted to ease his discomfort.

She had managed to slip in undetected by any of his family members and she was glad. She needed privacy for this moment, not a critical audience. Sakura folded her hands in front of herself and found that the words that she had planned to say had somehow left her. The power of Itachi's presence never ceased to take her breath away.

"What are you doing here, Haruno?" Sakura sighed when he didn't turn to face her. This wasn't going to be easy-not that she had imagined it would be. She knew coming here today was right decision to make but-

She sighed and folded her arms across her chest so he wouldn't see her hands shaking nervously. Itachi said nothing, his rigid stance and cold silence designed to put her on edge. Itachi's ninja training had taught him that body language could be more persuasive than any words. A small smile flitted across Sakura's lips. At least she could honestly say that she understood him now. She opened her mouth to speak but immediately found herself biting back a yawn.

Sakura hadn't slept the previous night. Her mind was whirling with thoughts of what she should do, who she should be with, and who it would hurt. Dawn had brought her the answers she sought, so she'd slipped out of the bed with Sasuke, intent upon finding Itachi. They needed to talk, and soon. The anger and resentment was going to tear them apart if something didn't give. She supposed that she had reached the climax of the situation since she was ready to lay it all out there and settle things once and for all.

This whole mess was her fault. She felt so guilty about the actions that had led her to this moment. Her pride was too great and it had been her downfall. And so now she had to right her wrongs today. It was time to lay the past aside and start anew.

"I'm here to apologize to you."

Silence greeted her for a while but her eyes never left his still form. They drank him in, savoring his beauty until he broke the silence with one word.

"For?"

"Everything. I was wrong to make assumptions on the day things…ended between us. If I hadn't then I never would have put you in this position in the first place. I should have talked to you and gotten clarification. I'm sorry for not telling you that I'm pregnant with your child. That of all things was a heinous offense. I should have tried harder. You should not have found out at a family dinner. All I can say is that I've been overly emotional lately, but it's still no excuse. There are no words to justify my actions and how wrongly I've done you."

"You're right." Itachi said, finally turning around to face her. "There are no words you can say nor would I want them."

Sakura took a deep breath. His words were so hurtful and yet she finally understood that there was something beneath the words that stung her so. It prompted her to ask her question.

"What _do_ you want?"

He raised a brow, clearly surprised that she had thought to ask the question. It made her feel ashamed and like she hardly knew the man that she had fallen for. Still, she stood her ground. She asked the question and she wanted the answer.

"I want you to stay here…with me…today."

The implication in his words was crystal clear. Don't marry Sasuke. Don't leave me. Be mine and mine alone. Sakura smiled softly, knowing that this was as close as she would ever get to him speaking his mind on this particular subject. She edged closer to him, feeling his sharp gaze observing her from the corner of his eye. "I spoke with your mother yesterday."

Itachi stiffened. His mother's whereabouts had been unknown for a few days and his father was going half out of his mind. He knew his mother was alright-she just didn't want to be found. It was surprising that she would surface to see Sakura, but then again, she was probably knee deep in this whole drama, anyway. It was just like his mother to worry about her children rather than her own problems.

"What did she say?"

"That I needed to choose the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."

Itachi inclined his head and beckoned Sakura to come closer. She continued to pad forwards, coming into Itachi's arm range. She felt a strong desire to wrap herself around him, give him the only comfort she could. Instead, she looked up into those eyes that smoldered with barely bridled passion and realized that her decision was the right one. Looking to his eyes left no doubt in her mind. It bloomed in her heart before she had to chance to think about it, stop it, or even deny it. There was only one man for her, only one man that she could ever truly be whole with.

"Itachi…I love you. I'm aware that you would prefer if I didn't voice how I feel but that's not who I am. I can't keep my emotions bottled up inside me. I need to be free to express who I am and how I feel. I love you. Plain and simple. However…"

Her head dropped for a moment, unable to hold eye contact. Itachi's eyes suddenly sharpened on her form as her words trailed off. Sakura shook her head and raised her eyes so that she looked directly in his.

"However, I love Sasuke as well." Itachi retorted with no hesitation.

"That's foolishness. You can't love two people. You either love me or you love him." He was plainly telling her to choose and end the circus that they had been a part of.

Sakura sighed. She should have expected some sort of reply like that from him. It didn't change things though. She had made up her mind once and for all. "Then I love him." The silence surrounding her statement was deafening. Itachi was uncertain as to whether or not he had heard her correctly but the words she continued to speak left him with no doubt in his mind. "I want to spend the rest of my life with Sasuke at my side. There is no man that I feel more comfortable with, more understood, more loved with than him. I need him in my life."

"He can be your friend." Itachi said, but even then he knew he was grasping at straws and it angered him. "There is no need to marry him."

"It wouldn't be the same. The type of love I have for Sasuke-maybe it isn't full of unbridled passion, but right now the love I have for Sasuke is strong and true. It soothes my heart and calms me beyond reason. It's not a roaring fire that will die out in time; rather it's the ocean-vast, endless. He fills a part of me that has been empty for some time and I ache for him in a way that I can't even explain. I can't imagine life without him."

"And you can…" His face twisted into something that was fierce, cold, cruel, and insanely beautiful. "imagine life without me."

Sakura stared at Itachi solemnly and he turned away from her, not being able to look at her face that screamed 'it's over' in a kind and mocking tone. "I knew this moment was coming. I expected it and for once I found myself unable to listen to reason." Itachi laughed mirthlessly. "I saw the two of you kissing in your apartment." Sakura gasped. There was only one kiss that he could have witnessed. It was the first one that Sasuke had given her in years. That teasing kiss that had left her knees weak and sent her hurtling down the path that she was currently on. Itachi had seen that. "I've never seen you simply lose yourself in someone else like that. It was something so obvious even from a distance. I suppose that means that you were never meant for me."

"Itachi…" Sakura's heart ached for him, for them, as she heard something that she never thought she'd hear in Itachi's voice. It was hoarse and riddled with raw pain. It spoke volumes of his emotional attachment to the woman in his presence. Yet the tone disappeared quickly, because Itachi wasn't one to let his feelings go unchecked for extended periods of time.

"Get out."

"Itachi-"

"I said get out. Go marry the man you can't live without."

Itachi heard her quietly move out of his room as Sasuke's words came back to haunt him then.

"_Where Haruno Sakura is concerned, none of that matters because before you there was me and before that it was still _me. _Just like after you there will continue to be _me_, and no matter where she goes or who she's with, I will always be there." _

Itachi felt his lips twist into a cynical smile. It seems as if his little brother, for once, was right.

:::

"Sasuke? What the hell are you doing?"

Naruto barged in as he was wont to do and looked at Sasuke's form, aghast. He lay supine with the blankets covering his head. His hair stuck out haphazardly from beneath the sheets and the air held a tinge of sorrow within it. Sasuke uncovered his face to see his annoying friend standing before him in his best orange and blue kimono. He could admit with more than a little bitterness that the loser actually looked nice. It was too bad that there was no reason for it.

"What does it look like?"

"It looks like you're planning on standing Sakura up at the altar, but it will be a cold day in hell before I let that happen."

Naruto took a menacing step towards Sasuke.

"What the hell are you talking about, loser? Sakura stood _me _up."

"If she stood you up then why the hell would she send me here to get your ass in gear?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to blast Naruto until the words that came out of Naruto's mouth registered in his mind, causing him to sit up abruptly. "She what?"

"If you're getting cold feet then I'll toss some hot water on them so you can get the hell over it. She's pregnant with your child. You think I'm just gonna let you walk away from her? On her wedding day?"

Sasuke smacked Naruto upside the head in one quick move and dove to the floor to retrieve the note that Sakura had left behind. He ignored Naruto's shouts that he needed to get dressed and unfurled the paper he had crumbled.

_Sasuke, _

_Well, they say it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding…so…_

Sasuke could imagine her shrugging her shoulders and giving him an embarrassed smile. Just the thought caused him to smile in spite of himself.

_I love you, Sasuke. I want to marry you. Meet me at the altar? _

With the letter clutched in his hand as if it were his lifeline to Sakura, Sasuke's head snapped towards the clock and he began to swear fiercely. "Where's my kimono? Where the hell is my kimono?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"Shit! What kind of best man are you?"

Naruto watched silently amused as Sasuke scrambled around the apartment looking for his clothes. Sasuke dashed out the room and Naruto only followed when he heard a crash. He found Sasuke sprawled across the floor, flat on his face eagle-spread. Unbeknownst to his friend he happily had a camera that he used to quickly take a picture of the scene in order to laugh about it later. Blackmail material was the best.

"You know, Sasuke. Maybe you should just start by showering, you know… Because you reek…?" Naruto said because he just couldn't resist messing with his frazzled friend.

Sasuke's response was more cursing followed by rushing to the bathroom.

:::

Ino wrung her hands together, wondering how Sakura could be so calm when Sasuke was an hour late to their wedding. Usually it was the bride that made things run overtime not the groom. He wasn't even there yet. Ino squared her shoulders determined to prepare her friend for the worst. "Sakura, he's not here yet maybe…."

"He will be here." Sakura said putting the finishing touches on her makeup and cutting off Ino's words.

"But-"

"Ino. We just made up. Let's not spoil things with doubt on Sasuke."

Ino pursed her lips together and said not another word.

:::

"Where have you been?" Fugaku hissed as his wife settled herself next to him. Mikoto regretted immediately that she had chosen to sit next to Fugaku for appearance's sake. She had thought that there was no need to bring the world into their marital problems, but perhaps she should have just said 'screw it' and sat in the back next to Anko.

Mikoto looked at Fugaku and raised a brow that was very similar gesture that one of her children used on a regular basis.

"Perhaps if you listened to me you'd know I left you Fugaku."

"The he-" Fugaku leaned down and whispered into Mikoto's ear. "You can't leave me."

"I don't see why not. I've done it already."

"Mikoto, you're being ridiculous."

"So my feelings are ridiculous now."

"Stop putting words in my mouth."

"Well, perhaps you should just say what you mean, Fugaku. I don't have time for-"

Mikoto's words were cut off when she heard someone clearing their throat. Mikoto raised her head and found herself staring into the eye of Hatake Kakashi.

"Forgive me, Uchiha-san but the two of you are making a scene." Mikoto glanced around herself and noticed that, indeed, several eyes were glued to them and the spectacle they were making. She couldn't stop the blush that stained her cheeks.

"This is what happens when you make a big deal out of nothing, Mikoto." Fugaku said crossly.

"Nothing?" Mikoto hissed.

"That's enough." Kakashi growled quietly, a wall of steel behind his words. "Today is Sakura and Sasuke's wedding. I will not tolerate you two ruining it with your petty squabbles. If you two want to fight then leave. I'd be delighted to escort you out." Mikoto bowed her head slightly, ashamed of her behavior. She nodded and said nothing as Kakashi walked away, certain that his message had been made clear.

:::

"Sakura! He's here!"

Sakura's eyes lit up when Hinata entered the room she had been waiting in. She hadn't been worried that Sasuke wouldn't show. Still, she wouldn't have blamed him if he hadn't. She had taken a huge gamble with not letting him know beforehand that she couldn't leave him. He could have very well said that after all she had put him through that he didn't want anything to do with her. Yet, she couldn't do anything but have faith in Sasuke. She had doubted him too much in her past and she had resolved to turn over a new leaf. There was no room for doubt and Sasuke in her heart. She wouldn't allow it.

Sakura rose to her feet and grinned at Ino and Hinata. "Let's get this started then."

Minutes later Sakura was being escorted down the isle on the arm of her old teacher. He looked extremely handsome in his gray kimono. The material was heavy but flattering to the lanky frame, the texture soft and expensive. Of course, his mask matched perfectly and Sakura wondered briefly how much time he had spent searching for a mask that went with his clothes or whether or not he had it custom made for the wedding. Once her eyes caught sight of Sasuke who was fidgeting slightly she decided that she'd ask Kakashi later because all thoughts flew from her mind at the picture he made.

He had decided to wear white as well and Sakura found that she couldn't have been more pleased with the results. He reminded her of the first winter snowfall; coldly beautiful yet waiting for the first hint of warmth to send it to the next phase of its life. Sakura was only Sasuke's warmth and together they'd bring forth the spring.

Kakashi leaned down and whispered in her ear,

"You sure you want to be saddled with _him_ for the rest of your life? I can knock him out while you make a run for it." Sakura bit back a snicker and then elbowed Kakashi discreetly in the ribs. "Is that a no?" Kakashi inquired and Sakura bit her bottom lip. Of course, Kakashi would find the most inappropriate thing to say at such a time.

"It's a no." Sakura said firmly.

"Good." Kakashi replied and Sakura realized that she had finally reached Sasuke. Kakashi leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Sakura's cheek. "You look beautiful, Sakura." Sakura grinned up at Kakashi embarrassed and pleased at his words, but he wasn't quite finished yet. "I wish you were my daughter." At that point Sakura knew that her makeup was going to be in shambles because tears sprang to her eyes at his words. She began finding it difficult to breathe as she forced out her next words that were probably the most honest words she had ever spoken.

"I wish you were my father."

Kakashi nodded his head with a soft smile unseen on his lips, and passed Sakura off to Sasuke. Sakura felt Sasuke's hand tug her a little closer to him, drawing her attention to her almost husband. The moment their eyes met she felt as if he were peering into her soul.

"Why?" It amazed her the way he was able to simply everything with one simple question consisting of one word. That was Sasuke. Not overly complicated, dependable, and just all around perfect for her.

"Because you make me happy. You always have."

He grabbed her then, hauling her up to him and claimed her lips. Sakura vaguely heard Naruto shouting that the kiss comes at the 'end' and not the beginning but Sakura didn't think she cared too much. All that she could think of was how good it felt to be in Sasuke's arms, how wise her decision had been, and despite the fact that her heart ached for Itachi she wouldn't change her decision for the world.

But how did she come to this conclusion?

It was simple really.

Her morning sickness-which wouldn't go away fast enough for her, had forced her to leave her bed and hurry to the bathroom. When she moved to do her ritual afterwards she saw that Sasuke had everything set out for her. Her glass, her toothbrush, and toothpaste. She couldn't help, but realize that he knew her so well-even after they had been separated for so long he still knew her, loved her. She could depend upon him, lean on him, and love him.

However, the deal breaker had been that she could not think of any man she respected more. Not every man would marry a woman who was pregnant by another man-especially not one's own brother. Not every man would deal with the scorn of a village for actions he had not taken. Yet that's what Sasuke had decided to do. He had eliminated all doubt from her mind. Sasuke would be there for her. He would be her partner, her husband, and the father to her child. He would probably be annoying at times, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

:::

"Itachi didn't come." Sasuke remarked as he twirled Sakura around the dance floor at their wedding. Sakura sighed and moved a little closer to Sasuke.

"No, he didn't." She said.

"I understand the situation, but he's my brother." Sasuke murmured. "He should have at least made an appearance."

Sakura raised her green eyes and looked into Sasuke's curiously. "Tell me honestly Sasuke. What do you think would have happened if he had shown up? What would you have done if you were in his place?"

Sasuke frowned, immediately knowing what he would do. He would show up and he wouldn't have been able to watch the wedding-not for long. He would have taken her and ran far, fast, and hard. And he would have loved her. He would have loved her so much that she wouldn't even remember Itachi's name when he was done with her and he would only bring her back when he was absolutely certain that no one could possibly stand in between them.

Sakura's voice interrupted his thoughts, bringing his attention back to her. "Itachi not coming…is his way of saying that he will not interfere with us. You understand?"

"Aa." Sasuke said. He understood better than she possibly knew.

:::

_Post Wedding_

"_Why did you tell her to do it?"_

_Two weeks had passed since Sakura's marriage to Sasuke and an embittered Uchiha Itachi faced off with his mother. The couple was on their honeymoon, blissfully unaware of the proceedings on the home front._

"_Tell who to do what?"_

"_Don't play games with me, mother. Why did you tell Sakura to pick Sasuke? Why did you encourage her to leave me?"_

"_Itachi," Mikoto said, befuddled. "I did no such thing."_

"_She told me you talked to her before she married Sasuke."_

"_I did and I simply told her to choose the person that she loves the most. I never encouraged her to pick either of you."_

"_Don't lie! You've always preferred Sasuke to me."_

"_Itachi, you need to remember with whom you are speaking. Who am I?"_

_Itachi's head bowed and his hair fell forward covering his face. "My mother."_

"_So speak to me as befitting my station."_

"_She would have stayed with me had you not interfered."_

_Mikoto shook her head sadly. "Itachi, I'm sorry to be the one to have to tell you this, but she would not have chosen you."_

"_You don't know that."_

"_I do. Itachi, it was only a matter of time before Sasuke and Sakura got back together. They're like the sun and the moon-"_

"_She was the only piece of sanity that I had Mother, and you took it away."_

"_I'm sorry you feel that way Itachi, but Sasuke-"_

"_See? It's always Sasuke with you. Why can't you ever support me for once?"_

_Mikoto's eyes flashed with an anger she didn't even know she held. "The whole clan supports you. Who ever supports Sasuke? The clan has done nothing but make his life a living hell and you know that. His team is more family to him than we are, than his father is, so excuse me if I wanted to see him happy. You have the world in your hands Itachi, with your station in life. You have the strength to carve happiness with the strength of your mind and hands. I believe you can. I know you can. Sakura has chosen Sasuke through no coercion from me but from the needs of her own mind and heart. Let this be a lesson learned. Every battle can not be won. If you must accept defeat then accept it gracefully as befitting a man of your station. You have a child coming and if you don't get control of yourself you will never be allowed to see her grow. Is that what you want?"_

_Itachi didn't reply and this didn't surprise Mikoto at all. She walked over to Itachi and wrapped her arms around him holding him tightly, ignoring the way he didn't bother to hold her back. _

"_It will be alright, son." Mikoto felt a single, solitary tear splash against her face. "I'm here."_

:::


	10. Bitter Reunion

**Chapter Ten**

**Daddy's Girl**

"What about Benjiro?"

"No."

"Dai?"

"No."

"Juro?"

"No."

"Damn it Sasuke, are you going to shoot down every name I pick?"

"Only the bad ones." Sasuke replied from behind his newspaper, not at all seeing Sakura's eye twitch.

"Are you saying every name that I've chosen is bad?"

Sasuke lowered his paper, answering Sakura with just a look. Sakura growled. They had discovered not too long ago that she was having a boy. Needless to say Sasuke had been ecstatic. She hadn't seen him that happy since their wedding day and that was saying something. While it made her happy for him to be happy the whole naming the baby business was going to result in Sasuke's untimely demise. She really didn't want to be a widow…but sometimes you had to do what you had to do.

"Fine! Then you pick a name."

"Sasuke." Sasuke replied, a smirk alighting his lips mischievously. He knew she wasn't going to agree to it…but on the off chance he had to mention it. His name was a good one; his father's grandfather's grandfather had been named Sasuke, and the man had been known as the Flame Warrior. He had been Sasuke's hero when he was a child.

"Absolutely not!"

"It's a good name."

"No. Your name sucks." Sakura leaned back in her chair in a huff. Actually, she liked Sasuke's name-she liked it best when she was calling it out in the throes of ecstasy, but she just felt that their child should have something different. She wouldn't tell him that, though.

"Why'd you ask if you didn't want my answer?"

"Because I thought you should at least have some input, but if you're just going to be ornery you can just hush and agree to whatever I decide upon!"

"Fine, what have you decided on besides the sorry names you've mentioned already?"

"Why should I tell you now when all you'll do is try to talk me out of them? You'll find out the day he's born."

"Tch."

"Tch, right back at you!" Sasuke smirked and grabbed his very pregnant wife pulling her into his lap to steal a kiss.

Although, you can't exactly steal something that is given freely….

:::

The time had finally come. Sakura had been having contractions all day long, but hadn't bothered to tell Sasuke about it. The last time he even suspected she was in labor he had dragged her to the hospital and hadn't listened to a word she said otherwise. Needless to say the baby was overdue. Such an occurrence wasn't unusual for a first child, but Sakura was glad the wait was over. She was as big as a whale, and no matter how many times Sasuke kissed her belly and proudly stated that she was just perfect, she knew she waddled.

She had never in her life seen Sasuke as anxious about anything as he was the birth of their first born. At times he reminded her of Naruto with his pacing, constant pestering and tripping over her from being so close. She told him that once and the look that he sent her had made her erupt into peals of laughter. He hadn't appreciated the humor of the situation-which made it so much funnier.

Sakura paused in cleaning the kitchen when she felt another contraction hit her. The soon to be mother placed her hand on the counter and bowed her head as the pain overtook her. Unfortunately, Sasuke chose that moment to walk into the kitchen.

"Sakura, what's going on? Are you alright?"

Sakura raised her head and looked at Sasuke with pain-filled eyes and watched as his face went from pale to bleached in two seconds flat.

"Shit! Sakura, how long have you been in labor?" Sasuke rushed forward and pulled Sakura up into his arms. "You're heavy as hell." He grunted, making Sakura momentarily forget her pain and focus on hitting him.

"Put me down then, you ass! I can walk!"

"You can barely stand you little idiot." Sasuke groused as he started heading towards the door. "I bet you've been in labor all day and didn't tell me."

"…"

Sasuke paused at the door, realizing that he was in an awkward position. His arms were full and the door was closed. He could either put her down and open the door or kick the door down. He didn't think Sakura would be too happy with the second option nor did he think it would be wise to put Sakura down. If he did that there would be no way in hell she'd let him pick her up again. She'd march down the streets of the village, determined to get to the hospital on her own even if she had to crawl there.

Sasuke kicked the door down.

"The hell? Sasuke why did you kick the door down? What's wrong with you?" Sakura panted.

"We had to get out didn't we?"

"Why the hell didn't you just open the door?"

"Like hell I'm picking you up twice. Once was ordeal enough." Sakura began to struggle feebly in his arms rather predictably but Sasuke tightened his hold.

"It would be rather bad if you fell at this point. Don't you think?"

Sakura glared at Sasuke, who only chuckled in response. After all, she stopped wiggling.

Sakura was well and thoroughly pissed when they finally reached the hospital. Especially after she found out that it was too late to give her an epidural. Her childbirth would have to be natural and Sasuke was certain that before all was over and done with his wife would be breathing fire as if she was an Uchiha by birth and not marriage.

He antagonized her on purpose. It kept him from pacing back and forth within the birthing room, filled with worry and fear. Her screams terrified him and at certain points he was so afraid she was going to die. The thought itself was too much to bear.

"You call that pushing? I could do better than that with my eyes closed. "

"I'd like to see you try it you egotistical pompous jack-"

"Uchiha-san, please, don't antagonize her during the delivery." A nurse said, looking back and forth a the couple nervously.

"Yeah!" Sakura shouted as she struggled to deliver her newborn.

"You sure there's only one kid in there? She's awfully big."

"Sasuke, I swear I will kill you!"

"Uchiha-san!" The nurse said sternly.

"It's a legitimate question!"

"One last push, Sakura! I see the head." Tsunade called out.

Sasuke reached out and grabbed Sakura's hand, squeezing it tightly. She looked tired and in a heap of pain. He hated to see her suffer so. Sasuke lowered his head so that his lips were right next to Sakura's ear. "You can do this." He whispered encouragingly. Sakura tossed him a smile and gave one final push. It would not be until later that he would realize she'd broken three of his fingers in that final moment.

:::

"What name did you decide upon?" Sasuke asked, looking at the tiny infant nestled in Sakura's arms. A tuft of dark hair lay upon his head and his eyes were tightly shut. Sakura's eyes gazed down at the child adoringly.

"Raiden. His name is Raiden." Sasuke's brow furrowed. He didn't dislike the name. He just didn't understand why she had chosen it. Before he could open his mouth to ask why, Sakura spoke. "Because his name means thunder and lightning. You my dear, wonderful Sasuke, are my lightning. This little miracle is our thunder." With those few words Sasuke decided that he liked her choice very much.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around his small family, completely content.

:::

"Sakura! Sakura where are you?"

"In the kitchen." Sakura called out, only to see Sasuke come rushing in the kitchen with Raiden in his arms. Sakura immediately moved over to them, fearing something was wrong because of the wild look in Sasuke's eyes. "Is everything alright?" Sasuke just smiled at her and handed Raiden to her. Sakura took the child willingly running her hands over Raiden's hair as she often did Sasuke's. "Okay, so what's going on?"

"Watch this." Sasuke said and then reached for Raiden who immediately called out, "Da da." as he reached back for his father.

"Sasuke! Did he just say…?"

"He did!"

"His first word! I have to write this down. Oh my goodness! Sasuke, he's talking!" Sakura laughed and clapped her hands gleefully. Sakura peered into Raiden's face. "Can you say Mama?" Raiden only looked at her blankly with his dark eyes, looking every inch the Uchiha. "Ma ma." Sakura tried again, but the silence was deafening until she heard Sasuke begin to chuckle. Sakura glared at him since he looked entirely too smug.

Incidentally, while Raiden's first word was Da da, his second was Grand-pop, which sounded more like 'Grapop'. He, of course, was addressing Kakashi. Fugaku would never let him call him anything but Grandfather so until he could say it he didn't really address Fugaku at all except with imperious grunts that Sakura sometimes thought served him right.

:::

Her life had completely changed. Not that it was a bad thing—it was just different. Life as the wife of an Uchiha was rather restricting. Her career as a kunoichi almost died a horrible death. Her job—according to the Uchiha-was to continue the Uchiha line. She wanted to be angry about it, she wanted to fight it. In actuality it was something that Sasuke was fighting his father tooth and nail on, but Sakura told him to let it go.

Her dreams had changed. Maybe it was something that came with age or maybe she was just fickle, but her dream to be a great kunoichi seemed so pointless. She now wanted to be a good mother and wife to her husband. However, Sasuke felt that she was essential to the safety of their team. She couldn't argue that she wanted them all safe—and as the team medic and friend she knew that they would be better off with her with them than without. So a compromise was formed. The amount of missions she partook of were cut back and her teams were to report to her immediately after every mission so that she could look them over and make sure they weren't hiding any injuries because they didn't want to go to the hospital.

The main one to commit such a heinous crime was walking with her through the village. Since her marriage to Sasuke, Sakura had formed a bond with Kakashi that grew tighter with every day that passed. While Sasuke was her husband and Naruto was her best friend, Kakashi was more like a father to her and she couldn't express how happy she was that he had taken up that role.

"It doesn't bother you that Raiden calls you Grandpop?" Kakashi reached out and ruffled Sakura's hair. He snagged Raiden out of her arms, smiling rather happily at the little boy.

"Don't be silly," He replied while tossing Raiden in the air lightly, delighting in the joyful screams that he emitted. Sakura hesitated a moment before continuing on. "Although it does make me feel a bit old." Kakashi said, giving Sakura a wry grin but it wasn't returned. That worried Kakashi a bit and he asked her what was on her mind.

"Would you mind if I called you Dad?"

Kakashi paused and looked at Sakura, mulling over her words. He would have been very…precocious if he was indeed her father.

"Never mind. I shouldn't have-"

"Sakura, I don't mind at all." Kakashi tossed an arm over her shoulder and squeezed slightly. They walked like that for a while looking like quite the happy family.

Raiden dug his fingers into Kakashi's hair, pulling on it in a way that reminded him of someone he couldn't quite put his finger on. He gently pried the slightly sticky fingers out of his hair and chuckled. Pakkun had complained of this same treatment, but Kakashi could understand that feelings of love and protection that the pug showered on Raiden. Perhaps Sakura and Sasuke wouldn't mind if he got Raiden a summoning pup. He handed the boy to Sakura when she reached for him. It wasn't unusual for the two of them to play pass the baby. It was a wonder that the boy wasn't spoiled rotten.

"Are you happy, Sakura?"

Sakura glanced at Kakashi, surprised that he had asked the question. She had been married to Sasuke now for a year and a half and Kakashi's main concern had been Raiden and herself. He never asked her questions about how she and Sasuke were doing and she honestly never offered the information—because she just assumed that he already knew. She shifted Raiden onto her hip as he began to fuss.

"You have to ask?"

Kakashi reached for Raiden, once more ignoring Sakura's irritated grunt and took the small child out of Sakura's arms just as he was about to tug viciously at Sakura's hair. Sakura's hair was Raiden's favorite target. Sakura thought it was because of the color. The Uchiha, for the most part, were a dark haired lot and Raiden was no exception. So to see his mother's vibrant hair color was something of a favorite to him and he was generally itching to get his hands on her locks—in order to chew on them.

"Am I the type to ask a question with an obvious answer?" Kakashi retorted and then proceeded to grab Raiden's hand with his mouth as he made an attempt to pull on his mask. Raiden giggled causing both Sakura and Kakashi to smile. It seemed the obsession with Hatake Kakashi's mask had been passed on to another generation.

She loved to see Kakashi and Raiden together. It was something of a pleasure to see how well Kakashi handled her son. She had always thought that kids and Kakashi didn't exactly mix but he proved her wrong a thousand times over. Raiden and Kakashi may not share blood but it wasn't something one could tell given the strength of their bond.

"I suppose not. I'm very happy. I couldn't have made a better choice," Sakura replied, then dismissing the subject she asked, "So where are we going for lunch?"

"Anywhere you decide to take me." Kakashi smiled, shifting Raiden so that he dangled over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"I wish you wouldn't carry him like— I am not 'taking you' anywhere. You can buy your own damn food. And stop carrying him like that!"

Kakashi chuckled. "He likes it." Raiden giggled, proving Kakashi to be anything but a liar. "And you wound an old man. How often to I ask to be treated?"

"Every single time we go out."

"Lies. All lies."

"You may not ask but you skip out on the bill and you better not do it today!"

Kakashi chuckled once more and used his free hand to tug Sakura into a friendly hug, ignoring the glare she sent his way.

"Fine, fine. I suppose I could find it somewhere in my heart to perhaps treat you for a change."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Sakura grumbled, folding her arms over her chest. Kakashi chuckled once more.

They made it to a restaurant of Sakura's choosing and were escorted into a booth. Kakashi placed Raiden in the provided highchair and soon thereafter they both ordered their food.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you,"

Kakashi said, causing Sakura to arch a brow. He had been behaving oddly that day. First, his inquiries about her and Sasuke and now this.

"Go ahead. I'm listening."

"Who is Raiden's father?"

Sakura immediately broke eye contact and looked down at the table. She hadn't expected the question, but she should have. Somehow, she had managed to bury the truth in her mind, even though every time she looked at Raiden all she saw was Itachi.

"Why are you bringing this up now?"

Kakashi sighed. "Because there's no doubt in my mind that he's an Uchiha. Just looking at him attests to that. In fact, I say even at this age he's a genius, and there's only two people in the world could create a child like Raiden. You and-"

"Genetics are a funny thing. You can't predict how things will wind up."

"You're right and yet people still tend to inherit the traits of their parents—whether they know it or not." Kakashi then proceeded to pull out a senbon and throw it directly at Raiden.

Terror flooded Sakura's veins. It was all so sudden that there was nothing she could actually do to stop it. Yet she worried for nothing. Raiden plucked the senbon out of the air as if it were nothing. Sakura stared at Raiden as he laughed and waved the senbon around like it was some grand toy. Sakura took that moment to snatch the senbon out of Raiden's hand and throw it at Kakashi. He dodged with ease.

"You make it seem like it was poisoned."

"You just threw a weapon at my baby!"

"You're missing the greater picture, Sakura."

"What's greater than the fact that you're insane?"

"He caught it." Kakashi said with a shrug. Sakura blinked, Kakashi smiled, and Raiden began to cry. Kakashi picked him up immediately and Sakura saw that his cry was a ploy to get into Kakashi's arms and grab the senbon that he couldn't readily pull out of the booth that it was currently stuck in.

Yes, he caught it. Her baby caught a senbon. Sakura ran her hand over her face. "How long have you known?" She whispered.

"About Raiden or about Itachi?"

"Both. Either."

"Not long about Raiden. The last baby sitting detail you forced on me—" Sakura snorted. He practically broke into her home and stole Raiden out of his crib. If Sasuke hadn't stumbled upon him while he was packing Raiden's stuff they might not have known what happened. As a matter of fact, Sakura realized she was still angry about that. "While I was feeding him he became a bit overzealous and knocked over his bowl. It should have fallen but he caught it, leaning over the side of his high chair in mid air."

Sakura's eyes widened a fraction in fear. "Kakashi, you can't tell anyone. Don't tell anyone about Raiden." Kakashi frowned as he detected a note of fear in her voice.

"Why?"

"Because we're a part of the Uchiha clan. Fugaku will make him a killer before he can talk. I won't let that happen to my baby."

Kakashi immediately knew she was right. Fugaku would put Sasuke through hell because of Raiden and Kakashi wasn't sure Sasuke would be able to fight him on it. Since Mikoto had left him and refused to come back the man didn't even try to suppress his outrageous impulses.

"We'll keep it between us. You shouldn't even tell Sasuke." Sakura opened her mouth to argue but Kakashi wouldn't allow it. "It's not a matter of not trusting Sasuke. It's a matter of the less people that know the better."

"And what if Raiden does something while he's visiting Fugaku? If Sasuke isn't forewarned he won't be forearmed. It will only lead to a mess."

"And how often does Sasuke take Raiden to see Fugaku? I see him more often than he does."

"He doesn't do babies, not really. I don't even think he's even held Raiden."

"Then you're worrying for nothing, but if you feel it's best to tell Sasuke then do what you wish but the two of you need to be careful. No one else needs to know."

"We'll be careful. Don't worry-Dad!"

Kakashi blinked. He knew they had discussed her calling him Dad but something about the way she said it just then made Kakashi turn around. Over his shoulder stood a man. He was roughly six feet in height and his face showed signs of age. His hair was still a dark black and fell down to the middle of us back. Kakashi couldn't tell whether or not his eyes were blue or green something about the way the light shown on them made it difficult to tell. On his lips was a smile that was welcoming but Kakashi didn't trust it not one little bit. His voice was gravelly as if he didn't speak very often but as Kakashi turned his attention back to Sakura he could see that the man's voice had more of an effect on her that she would probably be willing to admit.

"Are you going to come give your old man a hug, baby girl?" He asked.

And Raiden began to cry.

_**My thanks to BlueArcticWolf for betaing this story for me. **_

_**FYI: I wasn't supposed to update this story so soon but because I'm moving and I don't know when I'll be updating anything in the near future I give you this chapter. **_

_**X's and O's **_

_**-Juniper**_


	11. Bitter Duty

_**Eleven: Bitter Duty**_

_**Beta: BlueArcticWolf**_

_**Rating: T**_

_**Author: Juniper11**_

_**Pairing: ItaSakuSasu**_

She couldn't believe her eyes. In truth, she never really could when he deigned to show up. He was her father, but only biologically speaking. She had never been around him long enough to get to know him. When she was little he'd come home with dolls and pretty dresses and she adored him, but things like that wear thin after a while. Especially after the first time he came home with a dress that was way too small for her and a doll. She was killing people by the time he came back; her hands were stained with blood and he brought her a porcelain doll. She would have rather had a set of shuriken. Yet she had taken the doll with a brittle smile and pretended everything was okay.

It made her ask herself if he really knew anything about her The answer to that was no, nothing at all. How could he when he hardly spoke to her, hardly looked at her after he dumped his 'gifts' off on her? That was the day she began to see her father for who he truly was. That was why she began to question her mother as to why she let him come back time and again after being who knows where doing who knows what.

Her mother replied, "You love that man. You have a right see him for who he really is." to which Sakura replied, "That doesn't mean you had to invite him into your bed." Her mother had given her this long steady look and replied, "Do you think he ever would have come back if I didn't?"

She was thirteen years old when her mother asked her that question. Sakura thought it was cruel and for some time after she hated her mother for asking it. She had never really liked the implications, but then she had been at the age where denial was preferable. Her father didn't love her. On some levels he was barely aware of her existence. She still remembered Naruto and Sasuke finding her on top of the Hokage mountain crying her eyes out. Naruto continuously asked her what was wrong but Sasuke would hit him upside the head and tell him to leave her alone. Eventually, the three up them sat together quietly until Kakashi showed up and berated them all for skipping training. He made them run thirty laps around the entire village-and he was being lenient that day, probably because he had noticed her red-rimmed eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura rose to her feet, a bit hesitant about moving forward since his arrival generally meant either one of two things: Pain or Trouble.

"I heard you got married. I came to say congratulations." Sakura's shoulders tighten at the reminder that he didn't feel it necessary to _show up_ at her wedding, but she pushed down the anger and tried to make light of a situation that was rapidly becoming a nightmare.

"Normal people do that…on the day of the wedding." Sakura said dryly and then moved forward to hug her father since he still was wearing a rather expectant look on his face. Tears came to her eyes when he wrapped his arms around her. Being engulfed in his arms brought back so many memories good and bad that she had to pull away or risk breaking down.

Sakura moved back to the booth and scooted to the far inside since she knew Kakashi wasn't going to let the man sit at his side, nor was her father going to let her sit on the end. She looked at Kakashi, whose face was carefully blank as he calmed down Raiden.

Kakashi had heard stories of her father-and that wasn't a good thing. When he hadn't shown up to see her at the chunin exams it had been Kakashi who comforted her afterwards. Then again…that was the case most times.

"Is this your husband?"

"No!" Sakura and Kakashi said simultaneously and then looked at each other chagrined, before laughing. "No Dad, this is Hatake Kakashi. He was my sensei when I was a Genin."

"Is that so?" Sakura's father said contemplatively before extending his hand. "Haruno Ren." Sakura nearly groaned when it looked as if Kakashi wasn't going to take his hand, but he did, shaking it quickly before pulling away. She'd bet good money that he wiped his hand on his pant leg after he shook it.

"Is this your kid Sakura?" Ren asked looking at the infant. "He looks a lot like me."

Sakura blinked and looked at Raiden sharply. She had never once looked at Raiden and thought of her father. Honestly, for the most part in her mind her father didn't exist, but since he had mentioned it. It seemed as if perhaps Raiden took more after her side of the family than she originally thought. The eye color was still one hundred percent Uchiha but the hair, the texture could be said to come after her father and Raiden's lips-when he was amused his smile was just like her father's.

Sakura frowned. She'd rather deal with the similarities to Itachi than deal with the ones to her father.

"Yes." Sakura said. "He's mine."

"You work fast, don't you? What did your mother have to say about that?"

Sakura froze and then turned to look at her father, her eyes colder than a winter blizzard. "Mom's dead."

"Mmm." Ren mused aloud. "I suppose that's why she wouldn't let me in the house."

"She stopped letting you in the house long before she died," Sakura said, spite filling her voice at the memory of him not being there for her Mom's funeral-for his not being there for _anything. _

"Oh?" Ren asked in a way that was condescending and then rose to his feet. "Well I just thought I'd let you know I'm in town. I'll drop by, play with the kid and such another time. I'm not one to wear out my welcome."

It was then that Sakura noticed the waves of killing intent coming off of Kakashi. When she turned back to her father to say goodbye…he was already gone. But that was like him.

"I've never met your father before." Kakashi said softly. "He's…nothing like you."

"Thank you." Sakura replied. "Look, my appetite's gone. Can we leave?"

Kakashi nodded and swept his charges out the door.

:::

"No," Itachi said, turning his head to look out the window, already bored with the conversation. If Itachi had been the type he would have rolled his eyes at the growl behind him.

It was a subject that Fugaku just wouldn't let go of. He was truly like a dog with a bone. Sometimes Itachi was tempted to put said 'dog' down.

"What the hell do you mean 'no'? She a perfectly suitable candidate!"

Itachi looked at his father sharply. "You know perfectly well that I will not marry. Cease this foolishness."

Normally, Itachi would have used more tact. He was usually the type for veiled sarcasm when dealing with his father but he really wasn't up for games. In those moments all he wanted was to be away from his father, his clan-even his village. His nerves, while having been said to have been made of steel, were running ragged. He needed peace and quiet to sort out his thoughts like the tactician he was.

Fugaku grit his teeth while contemplating beheading his recalcitrant son. Since Sasuke's marriage to Sakura he had begun shirking his duties to the clan-namely that of finding a wife, not to mention that the number of missions that he had been taking had drastically increased which also meant that his life expectancy decreased. The boy thought he was fooling everyone but Fugaku knew better. He had a death wish, but he'd be damned before he let him follow through with it-not that anyone could best his son in the first place.

"You have a duty to produce an heir for the future of the Uchiha clan."

"I've done that already. You have a healthy grandson, who is still technically mine. If this does not please you, I'm sure Sasuke will provide you with several more."

"Sasuke's children will never have the potential that yours will." Itachi shook his head. The man was nothing but callous. Under normal circumstances, Itachi would've risen to Sasuke's defense, pointing out the traits and abilities his younger brother possessed. Sasuke was not as powerful as Itachi, this was true. But, he continued to honor the Uchiha clan. However, since Sasuke had stolen the one woman he wanted above all else, he would let his father spout off his inane speech. He sat quietly and simply stared at his father, noting that he began to shift uncomfortably in his chair. "The girl will be here in three days and so will you. Do not even think of going to the Hokage for another mission. I have already spoken to her about the matter and no such thing will occur. In fact, you won't be going on any missions for a while. You're stuck here to deal with your problems and find yourself a damned wife! Then maybe you'll stop lusting after your brother's woman."

Itachi rose to his feet and quickly turned and strode out the room, his hands twitching with the desire to fight.

:::

"So…" Kakashi began, seeing as Sakura had retreated into a deep silence. She didn't even look at him when he said the word. Kakashi sighed inwardly. "Sakura?" Still she didn't answer. "Sakura!"

"Huh?" Sakura grunted, raising her head to look up at Kakashi. Her eyes were a bit hazy but her attention was finally focused on him instead of whatever dream world she had been traveling in.

"Are you alright?" Sakura gave him a smile that looked brittle around the edges.

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" Kakashi just raised a brow at the question but before he could say anything further he heard Raiden call out, "'Chi!" Kakashi closed his eye and shook his head at the unfortunate timing. He had noticed the tension between Sakura and Itachi whenever the two crossed paths. He was too seasoned a shinobi to not see the unspoken history between the two, though he could not be sure how they were connected. He knew for certain something was going on when he saw the intensity that Itachi watched Sakura when she wasn't looking. It was a look that could only be described with one word.

Longing.

Sakura turned and was immediately faced with dark smoldering eyes, but only for the briefest of seconds. Itachi immediately turned to Raiden with a slight smile on his lips. He held out his arms for the boy who squirmed out out of Sakura's hold and into Itachi's. Sakura felt a pang in her heart as she watched Raiden wrap his arms around his father's neck.

Itachi was a regular part of Raiden's life-much like Kakashi was. However, most times when he visited Raiden Sakura was nowhere in the vicinity. She was pretty sure he timed it that way and while a small part of her was relieved that he did, another part was unnerved that he knew her comings and goings so well.

"Are you headed home?" Itachi asked Sakura, who slightly nodded her head. "Do you mind if I take Raiden for a while?"

Sakura bit her bottom lip. She did mind-especially with the information Kakashi had just imparted earlier. The less time Raiden spent with other members of the Uchiha clan the better. Word had a way of traveling quickly. But…wouldn't it seem cruel if she did that? Sakura's gut began to churn until she felt Kakashi's arm settle across her shoulders.

"Sure, you two go on. I'll come get him in a few hours," Kakashi said. Sakura looked up at Kakashi questioningly but the man didn't acknowledge her. Itachi slowly turned to look at Sakura as if searching to see if she was alright with Kakashi's suggestion. Sakura nodded her head as Kakashi passed Raiden's bags to Itachi. Soon the pair was gone.

"Why did you tell him yes?" Sakura asked once they continued their journey.

"Because you were about to tell him no." Sakura opened her mouth to argue but Kakashi didn't give her the chance. "Itachi isn't going to let anything happen to Raiden. I know that as well as I know that he still loves you."

Sakura cut her eyes at Kakashi uncomfortably. "He doesn't still love me."

"Oh?" Kakashi was fishing, but Sakura was not about to bite.

"No. Drop it."

In no time at all Kakashi and Sakura had made it to Sakura's home. "Sasuke, I'm home!" Sakura called out to which her husband replied, "I'm in the kitchen."

And in the kitchen he was sitting at the table sliding tomato slices into his mouth. He looked like he was in ecstasy and Sakura found herself momentarily jealous. "Must you eat those like that?" Sakura groused. Sasuke turned his smoldering black eyes to her and allowed them to rake over her form.

"Would you rather I eat-"

Kakashi cleared his throat loudly reminding the two that they were by no means alone. A smirk formed on Sasuke's lips and a blush stained Sakura's cheeks. Sasuke had a moment or two of thinking about torturing them both but changed his mind.

"Where's Raiden?"

"Itachi has him." Sakura replied and moved to sit down at Sasuke's side.

"And you let him take him?" The question was addressed to their current baby napper who ignored them in favor of taking out his favorite book.

"Kakashi's going to get him later," Sakura supplied with a wry smile.

"I knew there had to be more to it. So why are you here?" Sasuke asked Kakashi, who continued to ignore him. Sasuke thought about telling him to get the hell out his house if he wasn't going to answer his questions but that would only start Sakura to yelling or nagging-he wasn't sure which one was worse. So he'd just wait until Sakura left the room and _then _tell Kakashi to get the hell out.

"Sasuke," Sakura began. "There's something I need to tell you." Sasuke froze at the serious note in her voice. Her shoulders were tense and she was fidgeting slightly. All of these signs made him more than a little uncomfortable.

"You're not cheating on me with Kakashi are you?"

"Yes, Sasuke. I've fallen for his dashing good looks and romantic ballads. I'm leaving you and the baby and running off with Kakashi to Rain." Sasuke glared at his wife and popped another tomato into his mouth. She pouted and Kakashi chuckled.

"How could you even _say _that?" Sakura yelled as she popped him across the back of his head, much to Sasuke's amusement.

"Well, if you aren't then it can't be that bad. So spill it." Sasuke retorted, ignoring her question.

Sakura debated on which one to tell him first. To her, both were of equal importance but Kakashi took the decision out of her hands.

"Sakura's father is in town."

Silence greeted Kakashi's proclamation. Sasuke turned to look at Sakura, whose face had paled. He knew how she felt about Kakashi. Kakashi was there for her in all the major events of her life. In Sakura's mind Kakashi was her father and the mindset extended both ways. The pair had to be immensely uncomfortable with an 'outsider' stepping in to their relationship. Still, despite what they both felt the truth of the matter was that Kakashi _wasn't _her father. Haruno Ren _was. _He may have been a terrible father but that didn't mean that he didn't care about Sakura in his own way. "It's not as bad as all that, Sakura, is it?"

Sakura shrugged and stood up to begin cleaning the already clean kitchen-anything to busy her hands. "He's coming by to see Raiden." Kakashi murmured.

"That's normal for him to want to spend some time with his grandchild," Sasuke said, watching Sakura carefully for a reaction. She just kept her eyes downcast, though her fingers moved restlessly against the countertop; a sure sign she was uncomfortable. Sasuke caught the look that Kakashi was throwing his way and Sasuke sighed and stood up moving over to Sakura. He slipped his arms around her waist pulled her back to his chest, resting his chin on her shoulder. She squirmed a little. She often complained that when he did that it tickled so he made sure to do it more often.

"Sakura, whether he stays or whether he goes I'll be here with you. You won't be alone." Sakura leaned back into his embrace and he rolled his eyes at Kakashi who used his fingers to form a heart at the touching scene. One day he was going to just kill him and dump his body in a ditch somewhere. Well, he would if it wouldn't upset Sakura so much. Sometimes, love got in the way of doing the things you wanted to the most.

"Mom's dead. I sold the old house. He doesn't have anywhere to go. He's going to want to stay with us."

Once again Sasuke found the need to ignore Kakashi who mouthed the words 'moocher' and 'sucks for you'. Sasuke scowled. They already had one moocher-who was already sitting in their kitchen. They didn't need two. He couldn't count the number of times he had come home to find Kakashi raiding his refrigerator or sitting at the dinner table-and he sat in the same chair every time and had verbally claimed it as his. Once Sasuke had sat in it just to see what he would say but the man had said nothing. However the next time Sasuke went to the chair he realized that Kakashi had carved his name into and Sakura said nothing. Nothing! No…that wasn't quite right. _He _had gotten fussed at for sitting in 'Kakashi's' chair in the first place.

"Do we let him stay?" Sasuke asked carefully. He had no problem with turning the man out on the street. He had never been a part of Sakura's life-not really. He would feel no remorse about not offering the man a room.

"He's my father. I can't _not _let him stay."

Kakashi's brow arched off his face, which Sasuke found to be an amusing but equally felt reaction. They didn't have to do anything. He was a grown man. He should be able to take care of himself and not leech off his daughter. However, it was possible that Sasuke was blowing things all out of proportion.

"When will he leave?" Sasuke inquired.

Sakura shrugged and pulled away from Sasuke. "I don't know." For some reason Sasuke didn't too much like the sound of that.

:::

Itachi sat quietly with Raiden, overlooking the lake that he had first learned to perform his family's infamous fire technique. The boy was quiet-as he often tended to be in Itachi's presence-but for some reason it bothered him. Raiden was rather boisterous when he was with Sakura and Sasuke but for some reason he was…different around him. Itachi didn't think Raiden was afraid of him, but he sensed that the child was a bit unnerved in his presence. It saddened Itachi that his own son didn't feel comfortable with him.

"'Chi!" Itachi looked down at the upturned face of his son, who smiled at him, reminding him so very much of Sakura. Raiden grabbed two fistfulls of his shirt and pulled himself to his feet. He wobbled a bit, all the while holding a silly grin on his face. When he'd stabilized himself, he laughed at Itachi and patted his lips. Itachi shook his head, but Raiden scowled and patted his lips again. The child was as stubborn as his mother. Itachi chuckled and stood, unable to deny his son. It had been a day much like this one when Raiden shown interest in fire techniques. It was only natural that Raiden would have an affinity for fire, and when Itachi created the Grand Fireball, Raiden had been delighted.

Itachi pulled Raiden away and made him sit back down on his lap. Itachi's hands quickly formed a series of hand signs and blew a blaze of fire through his lips. Raiden laughed and clapped his hands and then began to mimic the hand signs for the fire jutsu. He didn't get them quite right but Itachi thought he did quite well for a child his age.

"Good job, Raiden," Itachi said, but the boy paid him no heed as he was too immersed in trying to make his own fire. He'd get frustrated soon and he'd 'ask' Itachi to do it again and the cycle would start all over again.

:::

Kakashi left shortly thereafter leaving Sakura to decide on her own whether or not to tell Sasuke about Raiden. Somehow Sakura wound up in his arms again-which happened to be one of her favorite places. She didn't know how he knew she needed that she needed him to hold her but somehow he just did.

"Tell me all of it, Sakura. You know I hate it when you get melancholy."

A half smile flitted across Sakura's lips. "Yes, I know. It's not anything bad per se. It's Raiden."

"What about him?"

"He caught a senbon today."

"…"

"Sasuke?"

"Are you saying he caught a flying senbon?"

"…yes."

"Why did you tell me?"

"What do you mean why did I tell you? Our son caught a _senbon. _Should I have kept quiet?"

"I've already kept quiet about his sparks, Sakura. You know I'm supposed to report things like this to the Clan."

"I know that Sasuke but he's just a baby! What am I supposed to do? I've never met a child who exhibited ninja techniques on their own. That sort of thing just doesn't happen!"

"It does happen. It happened with Itachi." The two fell into an uneasy silence that Sasuke was the first to break. "Look, Sakura, I know how you feel about Raiden being a normal child…but I think he needs to start ninja training."

"Sasuke what the hell is wrong with you? He's not even a year old yet. He can't even _walk _and you're talking about ninja training!"

"Sakura, I'm aware of all that but as things stand he could end up hurting himself."

"And you don't think equipping him with the knowledge to kill won't hurt him," Sakura said with a roll of her eyes as she planted her hands on her hips. Sasuke scowled at Sakura, noting that she was jumping to outlandish conclusions _again. _

"Yeah, Sakura. I'm going to give him a kunai and a set of shuriken and just let him have at it. If he loses an eye it's a lesson learned."

Sakura's face took on the enraged appearance of a mother bear and Sasuke allowed a smirk to grace his lips as he silently counted down.

5…..

4….

3…

2..

"I will fucking kill you and every last Uchiha in this village with the exception of my baby for even _thinking about _turning him into a killer before he can even form coherent thoughts of his own. And you know what else-"

"Sakura."

"You'd better be glad that I'm not an Uchiha,"

"Sakura."

"Because I'd fuck up your head so bad before I killed you,"

"Sakura."

"That you'd wish I'd-"

"Sakura!"

Sakura blinked and looked at Sasuke's smirking face. "You're overreacting." It was Sakura's turn to scowl. "Raiden's not going to be crawling around stabbing people in the foot with a kunai." Sakura, against her own will, felt herself start to smile at the image. "All I'm suggesting is that he be taught that there is a time to use ninja techniques and there is a time not to. I can't sleep at night knowing he's in another room shooting out flames. What if he gets it right one day? What if he burns himself alive?"

"All the more reason not to teach him, Sasuke."

"He's learning on his own and that's dangerous. I'm not going to allow you to endanger his life because of your personal fears." Sakura bit her lip and turned her head away and Sasuke knew that was the closet to assent he was going to get on the subject. Now he had to broach the next subject. "Sakura, I want Itachi to teach him."

"Absolutely not!"

"Sakura…"

"I don't want anyone else to know Sasuke. You know what will happen if-"

"You know as well as I that if anyone knows how to be discreet it's Itachi."

"No."

"Why are you being difficult about this? We've taken everything else away from him Sakura. Can't we at least let him have this?"

"I want Kakashi to teach him." Sakura said, ignoring the twinge of guilt in her heart. It wasn't a matter of her not thinking that Itachi would do a good job of training Raiden. She knew he would. Despite everything she trusted Itachi with Raiden. Still, this situation with her father bothered her more than she was willing to admit. She was afraid that behind all this someway, somehow she was going to lose Kakashi. A part of her knew that she needed Kakashi just as much as she needed Sasuke-even though it was in different ways. So she'd tie him to her every way that she could even though she somehow felt that it was a hopeless endeavor. Her father was going to turn her world upside down and inside out and when he left she'd be left to sit in the ashes of her life alone.

"Sakura, Kakashi is lightning based in his techniques. Itachi is the most skilled fire user in the village. He-"

"No, Sasuke. I agreed to the training, the least you can do is agree with me on who trains him. Kakashi is a damn fine ninja. I want him to train Raiden. He trained you, he trained me, he trained Naruto and we all turned out pretty well."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes knowing that he had lost this battle. "Fine. I'll speak with him about it later." Sasuke exited the kitchen rapidly, his shoulders stiff with anger.

At his exit Sakura made her way to the kitchen table, laid her head down on it, and closed her eyes. She had no idea that she had started to cry until the bitter salt of her tears touched her mouth.

_A/N: I'm stuck on every story except this one. So you might as well get an update. _


	12. Bitter Meetings

_**Chapter Twelve: Bitter Meetings**_

_**Pairing: ItaSakuSasu**_

_**Author: Juniper11**_

_**Beta: BlueArcticWolf**_

* * *

"Hasn't anyone heard of knocking?" Sasuke asked as his mother waltzed into his home with every intention of snagging her grandchild. She had that look in her eye generally attributed to the need to snuggle. Sasuke said nothing about the fact that Raiden wasn't currently at home as she walked past him in the hallway and moved on to Raiden's room. Instead he chose to continue on to his bedroom where he'd pack for the short mission that he was leaving on in the morning. He hadn't even been in his room a good thirty seconds when his mother appeared in the doorway.

"Where is he?"

"Kakashi has him."

Mikoto ground her teeth. "Is it really necessary for me to fight that man tooth and nail for some time with my grandson?"

"Apparently." Sasuke said not bothering to sugar coat the situation.

"You should talk to him Sasuke. This is getting ridiculous."

"And say what Mother? Stop stealing my kid from my Mother. She doesn't like it."

"That will suffice."

Sasuke smirked. "And if I said any such thing he'd only make things harder on you simply because it amuses him to do so." Sasuke said moving back and forth across the room gathering this and that, checking his weapons and the like.

"Argh!" Mikoto said and walked into his room sitting on the edge of his bed. "If he wants a kid so bad why doesn't he just have one of his own?"

"I don't know any woman that will have him." Sasuke replied shrugging slightly.

"Oh there are _plenty of women that will have him." Sasuke paused and turned to look at his mother slightly disturbed. _"I hope you're not including yourself in that because if you are that's just nasty." Mikoto stood up, moved over to her son, and whacked him on the back of the head.

"Ow!"

"You deserved it. Where's Sakura?"

"Hospital."

"When will she be home?"

"In an hour or so. Why?"

"Because I wanted to be sure you had plenty of time to tell me what's on your mind."

Sasuke looked into his mother's eyes startled. Mikoto only looked back knowingly. "How…"

"I'm your mother. It's my job to know things."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and took a seat next to his mother. "There are things that I can't tell you, things that are private."

"I know that Sasuke and that's as it should be. A husband and a wife have a special bond that shouldn't be broken. I would never ask you to do it." Mikoto reached over and grabbed Sasuke's hand squeezing it lightly and then pulled away quickly because she knew he was really awkward when it came to showing affection. Itachi was better at receiving her affection even if he never returned it. It was something her boys got from their father. That man in his entire lifetime only showed affection to her.-not even to his own children. He behaved as if the world had cooties. Mikoto shook her head. She couldn't think about Fugaku. It would only leave her heavy hearted and irritated.

"Mother, do you think Sakura on some level wishes she had chosen Itachi?" Mikoto's hand twitched since her first instinct was to smack Sasuke upside the head again for asking such a foolish question but instead she blew out a gust of air and replied, "Have you ever, since you been together, doubted her love for a second?"

"No."

"Then that's your answer. Sasuke, when a woman longs for another man it starts to show in their actions. Some can hide it longer than others but eventually it's going to come out. Love is serious business to a woman."

"You make it seem like it's not for a man."

"It's different for men. Men put more emphasis on different aspects of a relationship than women."

"Mmm. So is that the problem between you and Father?"

Mikoto rose swiftly to her feet. "No, the problem with me and your father is that he's an-" Mikoto broke off and shook her head. "We're not talking about your father and I."

"No, we weren't, but if you're going to meddle in my life why can't I meddle in yours?" Mikoto did hit him that time and then kissed his cheek directly after.

"I love you Sasuke, but the subject of your father is off limits. I'm staying for dinner." Sasuke marveled briefly at her ability to change the subject so swiftly it made his head spin.

"Aa. Then you'll get the chance to meet Sakura's father." Sasuke replied knowing when to leave well enough alone.

"Father?" Mikoto said looking at Sasuke puzzled. "She has a father?"

"Don't we all?"

"You've got too much mouth Sasuke Uchiha. One day it's going to get you in a world of trouble."

"Hasn't it already?"

"Yes, and you'd think you would have learned your lesson by now."

With that Mikoto swept out of the room.

:::

Kakashi raised his head immediately sensing that he and Raiden had company. His eyes locked on the lone figure of Itachi Uchiha. Kakashi inwardly sighed and would have made a move to grab Raiden if the boy hadn't started crawling fast and furiously towards their visitor. Kakashi was certain that in those moments he didn't exist to either one of them. Itachi leaned down and scooped the infant up into his arms smirking slightly as he called out 'Chi' in his excitement. Kakashi watched the boy dig his hands into Itachi's hair pulling it out of it's usual pony tail and surprisingly made the man look a little more approachable.

Kakashi knew what he wanted-especially since it was right in his arms. Kakashi had become an unwitting accomplice in Itachi's relationship with his son. Kakashi would steal the child with every intention of spending his own time with the boy and then the blasted Uchiha would show up looking forlorn and lost.

Usually, such tactics didn't work on him but there was something about Itachi's reaction to Raiden's mere presence that convinced him every time to give in. Theman's eyes always looked haunted except for when he held Raiden in his arms. If Kakashi was right, and he usually was, he'd say that the man was suicidal, holding on by merely a thread. The only time that wasn't the case was when Raiden was with him.

That generally meant that meant he'd have to take Raiden twice as much as he normally would have because of such meetings with the elder Uchiha. Despite all that Kakashi hated to be the one to deliver the bad news.

"I can't let you take Raiden today."

His entire body froze in a manner that was completely expected. Itachi wasn't the type of man to wear his heart of his sleeve but that simple act told him so much. "Sakura's father is in town." The tension that was in Itachi's body immediately drained. "I promised Sakura he'd be home for dinner."

"I'll take him."

"Not the wisest of notions." Itachi raised a brow and Kakashi realized that Itachi knew nothing about Sakura's father which could be a problem. Still, before he said anything he needed to confirm. "Sakura has never spoken to you of her father?" The question obviously made him uncomfortable-so much so that even Raiden was beginning to notice that he wasn't his normal cool, calm, and collected self. Raiden began to whimper and then wail so Kakashi tossed Itachi a bottle that he had recently warmed. Itachi caught it, settled Raiden in the crook of his arm and offered him the bottle. Raiden latched onto the nipple greedily.

"Sakura's probably going to be under a bit of stress while he's here…Sakura's father…isn't the best of fathers. Their relationship is rather poor. He was hardly around while she was growing up."

"Tell Sasuke to send him away. If he had no dealings with her in the past why should he now?"

"You'd deny him the opportunity to see his grandchild?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation, no emotion, not even the inkling of doubt inhis voice. Kakashi sighed understanding exactly why things didn't work out between him and Sakura.

"Do you think Sakura would?" Itachi didn't reply and Kakashi assumed he very well knew the answer to that question.

"Sakura…doesn't always do what is best for her."

"No. She doesn't." Kakashi agreed. "However she does always do what is right and I couldn't be more proud of her because of it." To this Itachi said nothing so Kakashi continued relenting, "They're having dinner in a couple of hours. Have him back before then so I can take him home."

:::

"What is he doing here?" Fugaku looked at Raiden's chubby face which just so happened to be frowning at him. He had no idea why the little monster was always frowning at him but it wasn't important enough information to pursue. He turned his attention to his oldest son who's eyes held a warning in them.

"Most grandparents would be happy to see their grandchild." Itachi remarked putting Raiden down so that he could wander and perhaps cause a bit of mischief. His hands slapping against the floor brought a little smirk to Itachi's lips. The boy moved over to a large potted plant and pulled himself up on it. Itachi thought for a moment that he'd pull the pot over onto himself but Raiden proved him wrong. He wobbled for a moment or two before he fell backwards onto his behind.

"You know what today is!" Fugaku hissed.

"Tuesday?" Itachi replied not letting his eye move from Raiden. Raiden pulled himself up once more rattling the pot before he got his balance, grabbed a leaf off the pot and promptly fell on his behind once more only this time he was satisfied that he had taken his prize with him and so he giggled in response.

"Itachi! Just…grab the boy and come on." Itachi grabbed Raiden who used the additional height to grab another leaf off the plant before Itachi followed his father down the hall.

No words were uttered between father and son, which was generally the case unless they were arguing. It wasn't long before they reached the room where their family once all sat together after dinner. That now seemed so long ago. His mother was gone. Sasuke…had a family…of his own and that left just him and his father and Itachi avoided his father whenever possible because all he ever wanted to talk about was the continuation of the Uchiha line. Or maybe talk was the wrong word because that implied a conversation. He never had those with his father.

Itachi immediately sensed they weren't alone. He also recalled in those moments what 'today' was. He had forgotten it because it was nothing of importance-at least in his eyes. A figure rose to their feet as they entered the room. Her moves were fluid and graceful. Her frame was small and delicate and her eyes were the bluest Itachi had ever seen. They were clear and honest. They told him that she was nervous and more than a little hesitant about being in his presence. Her hair was a silvery white that brushed her shoulders slightly and something about her reminded him of colder climates and maybe perhaps, happiness.

She smiled at him and Itachi realized that the spell that had been cast on him was broken. Her smile while beautiful was not the one he wanted to see. While sincere, it held none of the sheer appreciation for life that he had always seen on Sak-

This was the woman that his father had chosen for him. No doubt she would bring prestige and power to the Uchiha Clan-things he cared nothing about. Itachi looked away from her and glanced at his father.

"I've met her. Now we're leaving." Itachi turned to leave and Fugaku's hand reached out to stop him but Itachi smoothly avoided his hand. He had almost exited the room entirely when he heard her voice call out. Her voice was so sweet he could taste it in his mouth.

"May I at least introduce myself before you leave?"

Every instinct told him that he shouldn't but he didn't listen. Instead, he turned around and arched a brow in her direction. She correctly assumed by his regard that he was waiting, albeit impatiently for her to introduce herself.

"I am of the Suzuki Clan in Snow Country. My name is Mari. It is a pleasure to meet you Uchiha Itachi."

Itachi was silent for a long moment before replying, "I wish I could say the same Suzuki Mari."

:::

Sakura came home to a full house. She had in no way expected Mikoto to be in her home but she was grateful to see the woman had taken over her kitchen. She wore an apron that Sakura found looked better on the older woman than it did on her. Her hands moved swiftly as she prepared their meal. You could tell just by looking that she was used to taking care of her family. Mikoto didn't notice her arrival because she was bickering back and forth with Kakashi-presumably about Raiden. Kakashi, on the other hand, noticed her entrance and didn't fail to wink at her at her sudden appearance. Sasuke was holding Raiden who's innocent baby talk filled the air and was sweet music to her ears. Her immediate impulse was to walk over to Sasuke and take him but she restrained herself. Instead, she moved toward the chair next to Kakashi and collapsed in it.

"Hard day?" Sasuke inquired bringing everyone's attention to her. Sakura shifted uncomfortably at suddenly being the center of attention but she didn't hesitate to speak her mind.

"The worst. I barely made it out of there. Oh, and hello everyone. Forgive me for being rude."

"It's fine, Sakura." Mikoto reassured. "Why don't you go wash up and change for dinner?" Sakura smiled warmly at her mother-in law.

"Thanks." She said and rose to her feet.

_:::_

Her senses were shot once she realized that she wasn't alone in her shower. She closed her eyes as the stream of water pelted the front of her body and Sasuke pulled her back and against his chest. "Mmm." She murmured as his lips trailed down her neck. Sakura raised her hand and lightly touched his face but he pulled away grabbing her towel and soap and began to lather it. She almost moaned in delight. She loved it when Sasuke bathed her. It made her lazy, and it spoiled her, and she loved it. There was nothing better than Sasuke's tender yet firm touch upon her skin.

"They were driving me crazy." Sasuke said running the towel over her arm.

"Is that new?" Sakura inquired and chuckled when Sasuke grumbled out some sort of irritated answer. "You know Dad likes to irritate-." Sakura broke off thinking of her real father. "Where's my father?"

"He's not here yet." Sasuke responded moving to her back without missing a beat. Sakura frowned. It probably meant he wasn't coming at all. The man had to tendency to make promises that he couldn't keep. She was glad that Raiden had no attachment to him since that would only lead to problems in the future. Yet as she had this thought she heard the chime of the doorbell and felt her stomach clench with uneasiness.

Although the uneasiness melted away when she Sasuke copped a feel causing her to yelp and open her eyes getting water in them in the process. "Sasuke!" Sakura yelled.

"Don't act like you didn't like it." Sasuke sneered playfully causing Sakura to burst out laughing.

"You're such a jerk." She could feel him smirking at her comment as he moved reached around her and began washing the front of her body. She pushed the building desire to the back of her mind and grabbed the towel out of her hand. "I can handle the rest." Sakura said.

"Not as well as I can." Sasuke retorted causing Sakura to push him out the shower. She ignored his laughter and his delectable wet body and continued her shower alone-albeit disappointed.

When Sakura stepped out the shower Sasuke was still waiting, a towel in hand to wrap around her body. She let him do so wondering briefly at his behavior. It wasn't uncharacteristic for him to be sweet but she wondered if he was pampering her for a reason. Before she got the chance to ask he said, "I'm going to join the others."

Sakura simply nodde_d and watched as he left._

When she rejoined her family it was to see Raiden in the arms of her father-the real one. Raiden, typically a good child, sat in his lap looking around the room without a care in the world. Mikoto and Kakashi were no longer bickering. In fact, Mikoto happened to be having a quiet conversation with Ren. Kakashi was reading but Sakura was well aware that he knew everything that was going on in the room and Sasuke was serving dinner.

Sakura moved to help him expecting him to wave her off but he didn't, surprisingly enough. She was glad that he hadn't. She liked when the worked together-especially in the kitchen. It made her feel closer to him for some reason.

Together they placed everyone's meal before them and took their seats thereafter.

"So," Ren said initiating conversation. "How long have you two been married?"

"Forever." Sasuke said giving Sakura a wicked look. Sakura made a face at him.

"A little over a year and a half." Sakura replied.

Ren nodded his head. "And is he good to you?"

Sasuke raised a brow at the line of questioning but otherwise said nothing. Mikoto's eyes flashed with temper at his nerve to ask if her son was treating anyone less than magnificent but she held her tongue at the look Kakashi gave her from across the table.

"Yes, he does. I couldn't have asked for anyone better."

"Oh?" Ren said and eyed her speculatively but still managed to grab Raiden's hand before he stuck his hand in his food and shoved some in his face. Sakura hated when he father said 'Oh' it generally meant that he disagreed and since he didn't know a damn thing about Sasuke she felt he had no right to disagree.

Sakura stood up pushing her chair back ignoring the screech against the floor and took Raiden from her father. She brought Raiden's high_c_hair over and slipped him inside so that she could feed him.

"If you hadn't guessed already, Sakura girl, I'm making plans for a permanent stay in Konoha."

Sakura froze and then slowly turned her head in her father's direction. "What?"

"I'm getting older and I'm almost ready to stop traveling especially since my little girl has started a family of her own. I wouldn't want to miss that."

Sakura bit her tongue to keep from saying, 'Why not? You missed everything else.'

"Isn't that wonderful, Sakura? Won't it just be great to have your father around?" Sakura looked into Mikoto's beaming face and made a small grunt that could have been taken as either agreement or disagreement.

"Where will you be staying?" The innocent tone in Kakashi's voice was too good to be true. Ren and Kakashi locked eyes in an apparent battle of wills.

"I haven't decided yet." Ren said carefully.

"You should think on it. Sasuke and Sakura are, after all, newlyweds and the last thing we'd want to do is intrude on their time together. The first years are the rockiest. It's best to let them work things out." Sasuke turned and gave Kakashi an incredulous look. Kakashi ignored it.

"Are you saying my daughter has a rocky marriage?" Ren asked.

"She could-if you stayed here."

Silence descended upon the table-and not a comfortable one. Sasuke cleared his throat and said, "This whole conversation is irrelevant. He said he was_ 'almost ready' not ready. So until he's 'ready' we'll just move the conversation right on along."_

_Sakura glanced at Sasuke who continued eating his food and didn't bother to look at anyone else and just smiled._

"So…Mikoto where is your husband?" Mikoto froze and Sakura sighed realizing that this was going to be a really, really, really uncomfortable dinner. Her father had no knack for tact-or maybe he did he just chose not to use it.

"He couldn't make it this evening." Mikoto said carefully.

"How disappointing. I've heard so much of him. I wanted to meet him."

"You've heard of Sasuke's father?" Sakura asked puzzled.

"Oh, yes. Several times in my travels. I've actually heard that he's looking for a wife for his eldest son. He's known to be something of a ruthless son of a bitch. Power hungry."

"Dad, please." Sakura started. She glanced at Mikoto and Sasuke. Mikoto's back was ramrod straight and Sasuke's face was carefully blank.

"They're his family Sakura. I'm sure they're well aware of who he is. Personally, I'd like to meet him."

"Maybe…some other time, Dad."

"Mmm. I'm curious, though," Ren said seemingly oblivious to the tension in the room. "I understand Mikoto's presence. She is Sasuke's mother but what I don't understand is why your old sensei is here."

"He's family." Sakura replied immediately.

"He's no family of mine nor your mother's if I recall."

"He's my family." Sakura said in a no nonsense tone. "And you'll do well to remember that." Ren's eyes frosted over as he turned the full force of his glare onto Sakura. It was a look that terrified her as a child and on some level it still scared. Sometimes she wondered if her father was sane. It was times like this that she was certain he wasn't.

"And you will do well not to take that disrespectful tone of voice with me. I am your father."

Sakura grit her teeth knowing that she had been raised to respect her parents. Her mother would have been disappointed in her. In fact, she was disappointed in herself. She knew better than to let her father get under her skin. More than that she had a feeling that her father knew exactly how she felt about Kakashi and was chafing at that bit of information.

"This is my dinner table, my home." Sasuke said speaking up but to no one in particular. "I will not tolerate this type of behavior-especially not in front of my son. If you can't deal with that then you're welcome to leave."

Sakura looked at Sasuke stunned. His comment could have been directed at her or her father yet despite that she was certain he meant every word whether it was directed at him or her. Her feelings were hurt but she nodded her head in acknowledgement of his words especially since he was right.

The rest of dinner was finished in silence.


	13. Bitter Relationships

_**Chapter Thirteen**_: _**Bitter Relationships**_

_**Author: Juniper11**_

_**Beta: BlueArcticWolf**_

Shortly after dinner was finished Sakura put Raiden to bed for the night while Sasuke prepared tea. This routine was familiar; one of them would put the boy to bed while the other prepared a late evening snack.

Raiden had fallen asleep quickly, something that came easy for him with a full belly and heavy eyelids. The little boy always tried to stay up as late as he could, and Sakura guessed he got his nosy need to know everything from his father's side of the family. She tousled his dark hair and quietly raised the crib bar, lost in her musings.

Sakura's musings were broken when she sensed another presence in the room. This itself wasn't unusual especially since so many people were in her home. She suspected it to be Mikoto, who put great importance on how a child was prepared for bed. Sakura was wrong. She looked up to find herself staring into Itachi's eyes. His dark and penetrating stare captured her as surely as if he had used the Sharingan, and she found herself unable to look away. No words came forth, and Sakura cleared her throat. She swallowed harshly, wondering just how it was that people continuously broke into her home. Were their traps not good enough? She was really going to have to talk to Sasuke about that.

Sakura tucked the corner of her bottom lip into her mouth chewing on it lightly before asking,

"What are you doing here?" Itachi directed his gaze at Raiden and Sakura rolled her eyes at herself since the answer was rather obvious.

"I always come see him before he falls asleep. It seems I'm a little late tonight." Sakura found herself slightly unnerved to realize that Itachi came into her home every night and she didn't know about it. She had always known Kakashi came occasionally, but Itachi…

"You masked your presence from me?" His silence was enough of an answer. Sakura realized that perhaps she had been cruel to the man standing before her when it came to their son, but then again he had been cruel in his ways as well. She had never told him that couldn't be a part of Raiden's life. She had never intentionally kept him from her home, but she had been cold to him in word and deed. This must have prompted him to believe that he had to sneak around in order to get a few moments with Raiden. Seeing him was uncomfortable, but Sakura was a grown woman. She squared her shoulder and spoke.

"You don't have to hide from me. If you want to see Raiden, then it's not a problem."

"I prefer things the way they are." That puzzled Sakura.

"Why? How could you-"

"Because I don't want to see you happy with him."

She shouldn't have asked. A wave of guilt washed over her and suddenly she couldn't even look him in the eye. Would it always be like this between them? Would he ever be able to move on and find happiness?

"I'll just leave you two alone then." Sakura then proceeded to run from a highly uncomfortable situation and into an even more uncomfortable one.

She walked into her kitchen to see her father lying on the floor. Sakura blinked rapidly not understanding the scene until her husband raised a hand and pointed a single object that lay overturned in the kitchen.

A chair.

Sakura smacked her face suddenly, realizing what happened. Her father had sat in Kakashi's chair. Her father didn't move but she could see murder and mayhem in his eyes-the depth of which frightened Sakura. Sakura glanced at Kakashi to see him calmly leaning against a wall, reading his favorite novel.

Sakura threw him an exasperated look to which he responded,

"It has _my name_ written on it."

_**:::**_

"I apologize for my son's behavior. He can be a bit…unruly."

"It's no problem at all Uchiha-san. Arranged marriages are not always the type of thing that run smoothly."

Fugaku smiled at the young woman before him and silently thought Itachi was a fool. This was a woman with a good head on her shoulders. She was rational, beautiful, and intelligent-she was perfect. He couldn't have asked for a more perfect future matriarch of the Uchiha Clan.

If _he_ were a single man he would have married her before she could even finish introducing herself. But he wasn't a single man…even though his wife had left him. Fugaku frowned and shoved thoughts of that stubborn woman out of his mind.

"You'll have more opportunities to get to know him."

Mari nodded her head. "I look forward to it. Uchiha-san, forgive me if I'm being bold but…who was the child?"

"Child?" Fugaku asked, his brow furrowing wondering briefly what she was talking about. "Oh, that's my grandson."

"Really? You certainly don't look old enough to have a grandchild already."

Fugaku preened at the bit of flattery. Yes, Itachi was a fool. The girl was gem unlike any other, but how to get him to realize that?

_**:::**_

"That was the worst meal ever." Sasuke remarked as he prepared for bed. He missed the scowl Sakura threw his way before she threw herself on top of their bed with a grunt. She closed her eyes and then sighed. Sasuke was stripping and she couldn't even enjoy it. He didn't know it but he could have made a career of it since all of his movements were sensual and eye catching. He'd probably katon her into next year if she told him…or if she pulled out a bit of money. He'd probably mutter something about his Uchiha dignity or some other insane comment and then sulk for the rest of the night.

Sakura sighed, raising her hands up and clutching her head. It was throbbing and she just wanted the pain to stop. However, her mind was racing to process the day's events, and with every thought the throbbing got worse.

Sasuke glanced at his wife and moved over to her. He nudged her until she made some room for him on the bed which took him longer than he expected since she kept swatting at him and mumbling for him to leave her alone. He snorted irritably and ignored her since it was _their _bed, not _hers _and he didn't really care how bad she felt. He wasn't sleeping alone.

With a huff, Sakura finally moved over and allowed space for her husband who slipped in beside her and rolled over onto his side. Sakura turned her head and looked at him when he said nothing.

"Aren't you going to console me or something?"

Sasuke remained silent and Sakura felt her temper rising, but quelled it, realizing that if things continued as is she would be turning into a spoiled brat. Although she took comfort in the fact that if she did Sasuke had no one to blame but himself.

"Why does your father want to meet mine?" Sasuke muttered and Sakura frowned. That was something that disturbed her as well. Her father called Fugaku ruthless and power hungry and in the same breath he asked to meet him. It was something that didn't sit well with her.

"I don't know, Sasuke."

"What does he do for a living?"

"I don't know."

"Sakura, I know your father wasn't a big part of your life but shouldn't you have at least found out something about him?"

Sakura sighed and bit her bottom lip. Her eyes fluttered closed briefly and a dull ache formed in her chest that was common place whenever she thought of her mother. When she opened her eyes it was to find Sasuke staring at her silently, waiting for her response.

"Once upon a time I wanted to know, so I asked my mother."

"What did she say?" Sasuke inquired, reaching for Sakura and pulling her into his arms. Sakura snuggled close to him enjoying the feel of his muscled body pressed against hers and sighed softly when he rested his chin on top of her head.

"That I should only ask if I was sure I could handle the answer."

Sakura said nothing more but the fact that she still didn't know what her father did for a living was answer enough. It made Sasuke uneasy and he made a mental note to make some inquiries later. Sakura may not want to know about her father but Sasuke didn't like moving into any situation blind.

"So…" Sasuke began slightly changing the subject, "When are you going to talk to Kakashi about 'the chair'?"

Sakura snorted in an unladylike manner, trying to choke back her laughter.

"I'm not." As her shoulders shook with mirth she missed Sasuke rolling his eyes and didn't hear him muttering under his breath.

:::

Kakashi wasn't exactly sure how he got roped into escorting Mikoto home but he had. She was silent, which he found to be rather unusual given the fact that she took whatever opportunity she could get to complain to him about something or another. He figured she was disturbed over dinner. Kakashi could admit to himself that it was one dinner he _should have _skipped out on but even though he wanted to he couldn't leave Sakura. There were many things that happened that night but the hardest thing to swallow was that Haruno Ren was right. He wasn't related to Sakura. He didn't have any familial ties to her or Sasuke or Raiden. He was an outsider looking in and he hadn't even realized it until that very night.

"What do you think of him?" Her voice broke him out of his thoughts and he glanced down at Mikoto and slightly raised a brow.

"Think of whom?" Mikoto rolled her eyes and started moving forward faster as if to leave him behind. Kakashi figured he could speed up to keep pace with her or he could leisurely follow her until her childish behavior fizzled out and she slowed down allowing him to catch up.

He chose the second option.

Mikoto stopped walking entirely and turned back to look at him while tapping her foot impatiently waiting for him to reach her side. "Will you hurry up?" She snapped.

Kakashi smiled and called out, "You're the one who left me behind. Perhaps you should come get me." Mikoto's eyes grew large and her mouth dropped open and closed in a fish like manner. It was moments like these that Kakashi was reminded how different Sasuke was from his mother. Although Naruto claimed that at times the two were just alike. Since Mikoto's split with her husband she spent a lot more time with Sasuke and Sakura which meant that she spent quite a bit of time with him and Naruto as well. He now knew her well enough to know what would push her buttons and what wouldn't.

That being said Kakashi slowed down quite a bit.

By the time he reached her side he could almost see the steam coming out of her ears. She let out a disgusted noise and began walking again-this time at a normal pace. Mikoto was many things but stupid wasn't one them. She wouldn't hand him the opportunity to annoy her again—that night at least.

They reached her home in relatively short time and Mikoto paused on her way up the steps and turned and looked at him expectantly.

"So?" Mikoto asked. Kakashi sole visible brow arched and Mikoto said threw her teeth, "What do you think of Sakura's father?"

"Ah." Kakashi raised a hand and rubbed his chin thoughtfully pondering his answer. "He's trouble."

Mikoto pursed her lips. "Well, that's obvious. What do you think we should do about it?"

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "There's nothing we can do and you should keep that in mind since you're planning on being a busybody."

"I am _not _a busybody."

Kakashi chuckled. "Oh, I'm sorry I must have confused you with the _other _Uchiha Mikoto."

Mikoto made a strangled sound before marching up the stairs with her shoulders back and her head held high.

"Mikoto," Kakashi said, "You do meddle more than a little bit in Sasuke's life. You're really no different than Fugaku. Perhaps it's time the two of you patched things up."

Before she disappeared inside her voice called out, "My life with or without Fugaku is none of your concern Hatake Kakashi. Who's the busybody now?"

:::

Sakura opened her eyes the next morning and the first thing she recalled was that Sasuke was gone. He had gone on a mission with Naruto and wouldn't be back for at least a week. She felt a brief pang in her heart. She didn't know if it was because she missed Sasuke or because she wanted to go on the mission too but either way she pushed the emotion aside and went to go grab her son, who was no doubt about to raise all kinds of hell because he was hungry. She had just scooped him up when she heard a knock and the door and immediately wondered who it was since no one she knew knocked. They strolled right in as if they owned the place. Although she supposed if she really wanted to keep her friends and family out she could but that sort of seemed cold. Besides, one of them learned the hard way that they needed to respect her and Sasuke's boundaries when they caught them in the kitchen going at it on the counter. Sakura smiled at the memory.

She moved to open the door surprised to find her father standing there. He had spent the night in their home and would probably spend several more yet she wasn't aware that he had left. He must have seen the question on her face because he replied, "I left with your husband this morning."

Sakura nodded and moved aside allow him entrance. "Are you hungry? I'm about to make breakfast." Ren slightly nodded his head and grabbed Raiden. The boy went into his grandfather's waiting arms without protest.

"The Uchiha blood is strong in this boy, but mine will be stronger."

"What?" Sakura glanced at her father, wondering what he was talking about but he continued on as if she hadn't spoken.

"I didn't think I'd get a chance to speak with you so soon Sakura. You're always surrounded by people."

It was something she had never really noticed but now that he mentioned it…yes she was.

"That's my life I suppose. Why? Was there something you needed to tell me?"

"I wanted to talk to you…about your mother."

Sakura froze and felt tears well up in her eyes. Her mother was something she never talked about. Even thinking about her was enough to cause mind-numbing pain. Talking to her _father _about her mother could only be worse.

"I don't want to talk about her."

"That's understandable but I think I deserve to know how she died."

"That's funny, because the way I see it if you wanted to know you would have been at her side when it happened."

Ren's eyes narrowed and Sakura wondered why it was that her father was always able to spark such fear in her. "You remind me of her. You're just as flippant."

A brittle smile crossed Sakura's lips. "Thanks." She supposed it was better than him comparing her to him.

"You remind me of me too. Only I would be as cruel as to not tell another how their loved one died."

The words served their purpose just as he knew they would. In some ways Sakura was such an easy target. "There was an attack on the village. She died then."

"She left the house during the attack?"

Sakura frowned. "Yeah, there was an evacuation."

Ren shook his head and muttered under his breath. "Foolish woman." Sakura barely caught the words and was about to remark on them when he asked, "How much damage came to the village?"

"Quite a bit. Most homes were destroyed. A lot of people were injured. Very few died." Tears sprang to Sakura's eyes because her mother was one of the few.

"Ah, but your mother's house stood tall, didn't it?"

Sakura frowned, recalling. She had thought it odd that almost every home on her mother's street had been leveled except for hers but she had been too lost in her own grief to dwell on it. When she entered the home not a single item was out of place. It was like the attack wasn't even real in her home.

"What did you do? How did you do it?" Sakura said slowly putting pieces together. A critical element was missing though—one that would explain everything.

"You really do remind me of your mother. She was a brilliant woman-most times. However, you're not going to make the same mistakes that she did."

"What?" Sakura asked aware that she was on the verge of hysteria.

"When I tell you to do something you do it. You don't question me, you just do it. You may hate me, want me out of your life but you need to accept that I'm not going anywhere. More than that you need to know that Daddy _always_ knows best."

:::

It was probably instinct that led him to her. He couldn't claim that he had some supernatural connection to Sakura but sometimes he just knew when she needed…someone. He had no intention of being that someone but when he found her sitting on the floor in the kitchen rocking back and forth with a glazed look in her eye he wanted to be. Instead, he went in search of his son, finding him in his crib looking perfectly content playing with one of his favorite toys.

Itachi debated on whether or not to take Raiden with him and figured he better do so. Sakura didn't look like she was in the best condition to properly take care of him. After he gathered all of Raiden's necessaries he took the boy and went in search of Kakashi.

It wasn't a long process since he was apparently on his way to Sakura's as it was. Kakashi approached, first noting the child in his arms. Questions shone in his eyes since he normally didn't seek Raiden out in his home when Sasuke wasn't somewhere in the vicinity.

"Sasuke's gone?" He inquired. Itachi nodded his head.

"Yes, and she needs you right now."

Kakashi's brow furrowed. There was something about the way Itachi said 'needs' that sent off alarm bells in Kakashi's head. "What happened?"

"I do not know."

With those words Itachi calmly walked away, even though every fiber of his being told him to go back and make whatever was hurting her stop.

:::

When Kakashi found her he didn't visibly see anything wrong with her. She was cleaning and when he entered the room she looked up and gave him a smile. It was obviously a fake smile but Kakashi admitted to himself that it was a lot better than her previous fake smiles.

"Hey."

Kakashi raised a hand in a little wave. "So, what's going on?"

Sakura shrugged. "Just cleaning up a little before I head to the hospital. Itachi came and got Raiden if you're looking for him."

"Yes, I ran into them on the way here." A person who didn't know her would have missed the slight stiffening of her shoulders before she forced herself to relax. "Is there something you need to tell me?"

"Nothing really. I just had another confrontation with my father. Nothing to concern yourself with since I'm sure there will be plenty more in the future."

Kakashi didn't say anything for a while before saying, "You were never really good at hiding things Sakura but I won't push-right now." Kakashi chuckled at the relieved look on Sakura's face. "Just know if you need to talk I'm here."

"Yeah, I know."


	14. Bitter Smirk

_**Fourteen: Bitter Smirk**_

_**Beta: BlueArcticWolf**_

_**Rating: T**_

_**Author: Juniper11**_

_**Pairing: ItaSakuSasu**_

"You're having dinner with Suzuki-san." His tone booked no argument. It was a tone that he didn't often use with his sons since it was generally his ace in the hole. It was something that he only took out at times of the utmost importance and now was one of those times.

Fugaku said nothing further as Itachi made an attempt to stare him down but the act had no effect. Who did the boy think he learned that look from in the first place?

"I will not." The answer was expected. For some reason nowadays Itachi never wanted to do things the easy way. Regardless he had another thing coming if he expected Fugaku to just let this situation go.

"This isn't up for discussion. The woman came all the way from Snow Country so that the two of you could see if you're compatible. You could at least have the common courtesy to go out with her for dinner."

"I never asked her to come here." He sounded like a spoiled child and maybe he was. He should have been harder on him when he was boy. Maybe if he had an Uchiha would be Hokage by now or if not they'd have more influence than what they did now. As it was….Fugaku shook his head. That was something he'd deal with later. First he had to get Itachi married. Priorities. Priorities.

"Nevertheless, she is here. You won't die from dinner nor am I asking you to marry her after dessert." Although the thought had crossed his mind. "I am, though, telling you to take your head out of your ass for a moment and realize that you will be the head of this Clan one day. Whether or not you choose to do that alone is up to you," Fugaku barely contained a laugh at that blatant lie. "But regardless she is a guest and you will treat her as such."

Fugaku could see that he had made his point. If there was anything that Itachi had a weak spot on it was duty. It was something he exploited whenever the opportunity arose and this was just such an occasion.

"Where is she?"

"She's in the building where the diplomats stay. She's on the sixth floor in room number sixty-six. She'll be expecting you."

Itachi whirled on his feet and stalked off anger written in his soft footsteps, but Fugaku didn't give a rat's ass about his anger—especially since he got what he wanted. The Clan Head was certain that if Itachi simply spent some time with the girl he'd be reluctantly charmed. Fugaku didn't care whether it was reluctant or not as long as he got over his brother's wife. A scowl crossed Fugaku's lips at the thought of Sakura _Uchiha_. The girl had caused him an unlimited amount of trouble. She had cost him his wife, his grandchildren (the ones she would have had with Itachi if she wasn't foolish enough to marry the wrong son), and a loss of respect within the clan.

It went without saying that he didn't care for the girl. The less he saw of her the better. He wasn't sure he had the self-control to not out and out kill her. He didn't think either one of his sons would forgive him if he did them that favor. And Mikoto….

Fugaku shook his head. There was no need to go down that road.

With Sakura on the mind he found himself surprised to enter his office to see a man who looked remarkably like her. Fugaku looked around for his housekeeper but saw that she was nowhere in sight. He made a mental note to berate the woman for letting someone in his home without informing him.

"You'll have to forgive your housekeeper. I told her I was family—an in-law to be precise and she let me in."

"I'm afraid forgiveness is out of the question. Family or not no one enters my office without me being notified first. Congratulations you just cost someone their job. Now get out."

To Fugaku's surprise he simply smiled.

"In my travels I've heard a lot about you. The Uchiha Clan is a well-known and powerful clan all over the world. I simply had to meet the Clan Head especially since my daughter is married to your son."

Fugaku narrowed his eyes. "Your daughter is no favorite of mine and anyone related to her…let's just say they aren't on my favorite people list."

"Ah, and does that include our grandson?" Fugaku remained silent although the expression on his face said a million words. "I find it odd that you favor her so little given the strength of the child she produced with your son."

Fugaku scoffed. "Strength? I've yet to see this 'strength' you speak of."

"Really," Ren asked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "How interesting."

It didn't take Fugaku long to realize that he liked Sakura's father even less than he did the girl herself. The man had an air of smug superiority that hung over him that was more stifling than his own. But more than that there was a layer of something else beneath that and it made Fugaku uneasy.

"What's interesting?" His tone was harsh and he instinctively knew that he was losing control of a volatile situation. He needed to calm down and show this man exactly who he as dealing with.

"How little you know of your own grandchild and how much I do and I've only just met him."

Fugaku ground out, "I know enough."

"Oh? Did you know that he will be the most powerful Uchiha to ever live? Even more powerful than that ancestor of yours. Just think-to be able to use a fire jutsu and he's not even a year old yet. I look forward to seeing the other children that my daughter produces with your son."

Fugaku scowled. Sasuke had been hiding things from him. Itachi probably had as well. It was time he had a talk with his wayward son about loyalty to the Clan that had produced his sorry ass. A haze settled over Fugaku's vision that could sometimes be termed as irrationality. He didn't even hear the blasé mention of Madara from the man who by all accounts shouldn't know anything about. No, all Fugaku heard were things that he didn't know. Knowledge was power and he didn't like for anyone to have power over him. And his own children were the perpetrators of the situation.

:::

Itachi mentally prepared himself for his evening before he knocked on the door. It didn't take him long to realize that there would be no peace for him so he might as well get it over with.

He knocked on the door.

The door opened too quickly or maybe it was just the fact that it opened at all was what got to him. Her face was solemn as her eyes raked over him. He wore standard shinobi gear which was a direct contrast to what she had worn for the occasion. She wore red—a color that he found suited her well. The dress was floor length with a split that rose slightly above her knee. The neckline dipped low revealing an ample amount of cleavage. It was a dress meant to seduce—not one for a simple dinner.

"I overdressed." A blush stained her cheeks. "I thought…your father said…."

"It's best not to believe a word my father says—especially when it concerns me. I'll wait while you change."

"Right." She stepped aside and allowed him entrance. "Come on in. I'll only be a moment." Itachi stepped inside, glancing around the room briefly. He had no intention of sitting down since that would give the impression that he wanted to stay and chat, and he didn't. He just wanted this over with.

She was true to her word as she didn't take long. Mari still wore red only it was in the form of a blouse and wisps of her snow white tresses caressed her shoulders and a pair of dark pants that hugged her small frame. "I'm ready." Itachi inclined his head slightly then moved to the door opening it and allowing her to exit before him. With a smile on her lips she allowed him to lead her outside.

"So where are we going?" She glanced up at Itachi who didn't respond. Truthfully most places reminded him of Sakura and he didn't really want those memories tainted. While it was true that most people didn't know of their relationship no one found it odd to see them together. He supposed that might have something to do with Sasuke being her teammate but that was of little consequence now.

The Uchiha heir frowned wondering why it was that he still couldn't let go of Sakura. She had been married to Sasuke for some time now. By all accounts he should have moved on and yet he hadn't. Maybe Raiden had something to do with it. Every time he looked at the child he saw the bit of wonder that they had produced together it never failed to move something inside him. Raiden was living evidence of the love they once had, of what could have been.

Could he even let go? It wasn't often that he doubted that he could do anything but with Sakura all bets were off but that was always the case with her.

She was like fire to him now. Beautiful to look at impossible to touch without coming back injured. Itachi felt a bitter smirk flit across his lips. The Uchiha always loved fire.

A discreetly cleared throat brought Itachi's attention back to the present. Itachi decided not to lead her into the heart of Kohona as was the custom but instead into one of the slightly less populated areas. It was a small place that Sasuke had enjoyed when he was younger—he probably still did. He personally liked it because of the dango.

They arrived in a relatively short time frame and Itachi suddenly realized that his companion had fallen silent. He glanced at her face and noted that she wasn't looking at him but at their surroundings. Truthfully, on the outside the place wasn't much to look at, but when you walked inside it was a whole new world.

Suddenly Itachi began to have reservations about taking his so called intended to such a place. He was about to abort mission when she squared her shoulders and stepped inside. Itachi's lips flattened into a grim line before he stepped inside behind her. It didn't take a genius to see that she was impressed. When she turned and looked at him her expression was one that he hadn't seen in a long time.

Feminine Appreciation.

He ignored it.

He recalled very little of the wait for a table only that it was blessedly silent. This in itself was surprising. He would have expected his father to choose someone who was rather vocal. His experiences with women were limited to (with the exception of Sakura) women who filled the air with useless chatter for the sole purpose of driving a man mad.

"So what's your story?" And then he realized he had the thought a few seconds too soon. Itachi arched a single brow. "You know what I mean. There has to be some reason why you're refusing your father's attempts at marrying you off."

"Aside from me being obstinate?"

Mari shook her head. "You're not the type." Itachi didn't deign to reply but if he did he would've asked how she knew what type of person he was. "It's a woman isn't it? You're in love with someone else." Itachi's eyes narrowed. He began to sense deception in the form of his father. Mari held up her hands as she felt an ominous aura fill the air. "Hey, your father's not such a bad guy. He didn't tell me anything. 'Taken' is written all over you."

"You're naïve."

Mari blinked at the sudden change of topic but flowed with it anyway. "How is that?"

"If you have the guts to say my father is not a bad man and actually believe it you're either naïve or severely lacking in intelligence. At the moment I choose to think nicely of you."

"Calling a woman naïve is nice?"

"Would you like to hear alternatives?" One glance at Itachi's face and Mari decided that she didn't and slowly shook her head.

:::

Surprised was too small of a word for Sakura when she opened the door and found Fugaku on her doorstep looking…agreeable. Since she married Sasuke there was a perpetual scowl embedded so deeply on his face that it left lines. It was so normal to her now that seeing him smiling at her pleasantly was actually kind of scary. She made a mental note to check and see whether or not there were any prophecies about the world ending anytime in the near future because if there were this was certainly a sign of it.

"Um…hi." Sakura began prompting Fugaku to begin his rant on how he hoped she burned in hell. It was a good rant really. One she had memorized from being to end. When Sasuke annoyed her she often imitated Fugaku's rant changing it here and there to fit Sasuke. He hated when she did it because he thought there was nothing funny about the way Fugaku felt about her. Sakura personally thought she only had three choices when it came to her father in law. She could cry which would only set Sasuke off into a rage. She could get angry and make an assassination attempt on her father in law. She could probably get away with it too since he was such an ass. It had a nice ring to it. Assassinate the ass. In the end though she didn't think Sasuke would be too happy with her. If she tried to do it secretly he'd find out. He _always_ found out. She swore sometimes that he had someone watching her.

The third option was to laugh about it. It was an option that suited her fine. "Where is my grandson?" Although Sakura suddenly felt that there was nothing at all to laugh about. She never expected to ever hear Fugaku ask for Raiden. The mere thought was ludicrous.

"He's…" Fugaku brushed past Sakura and into her home. He had only been there twice but she was well aware that he knew exactly where Raiden's room was and was in for something of a surprise when he found him. Sakura knew she should warn him but since he sort of invited himself in she wasn't really feeling very forthcoming. So she trailed after him silently waiting for—

"Mikoto." Sakura stood on her tip toes in a failed attempt to gauge Mikoto's reaction. As far as she knew this was the first time the two had crossed paths since her wedding. It would probably be best to give the two of them privacy but she wasn't going anywhere…unless they noticed her first…and they asked. After all she'd be a terrible wife if she didn't remember everything to report to Sasuke later.

"Fugaku." The silence that stretched between the two was terrible but not at all surprising. If people thought her and Sasuke were a stubborn pair then they should take a look at Mikoto and Fugaku. They had nothing on _them_ and she sincerely hoped they never did. "What are you doing here?"

Fugaku shifted slightly and glanced at the child in her arms. "I'm here to see the boy."

"Oh? Then you must want something from him. He's a child Fugaku. He has nothing to offer you."

"Damn it Mikoto must you think you know everything?"

"I never claimed to know everything. I just claim to know you. So tell me why you're here to bother this child."

"I have a right to see my grandson."

"You're right. You do."

Sakura peered around Fugaku's side looking at Mikoto in shock. She had a feeling that Fugaku was feeling as off kilter as she was right now. She was so surprised at Mikoto's reaction that she forgot to feel fear that the head of Uchiha Clan would discover her son was gifted.

"I do?" Mikoto walked forward and placed Raiden in his arms.

"Yes, you do but know this: if any harm comes to this child because of something that you have done, I will not rest until you have paid ten times the pain he feels." Mikoto then skirted around Fugaku and said, "Come along Sakura." Sakura hesitated knowing that she shouldn't leave Raiden alone with Fugaku. Dread formed in her stomach at just the thought. Fugaku turned and looked at her arching an expectant brow at her and for some reason she felt like he knew about Raiden and what he could do. But that was impossible. No one but her, Sasuke, and Kakashi knew about that and none of them would breathe a word to anyone else.

"Sakura!" Mikoto called and reluctantly Sakura began to follow her. She'd leave them alone but only for a little while.

:::

Fugaku stared at the boy unseeing for a while. The image of Mikoto's face stayed in his mind. She was always more beautiful when she was angry. She was more graceful as well. A smile crossed his lips at the anger in her eyes. She still wanted him. No woman could feel that much anger for a man she didn't love. He supposed it was time that he brought the woman to her senses. However, first he had to focus on the reason he had come in the first place.

His grandson.

Fugaku looked down at the child in his arms that wasn't paying him the slightest attention. He was too busy squirming trying to get out of his arms. Fugaku tightened his hold deliberately seeming as though the child had almost released himself. Fugaku expected the child to start screaming in protest but he didn't do so. Instead he stopped squirming altogether. Curious, he loosened his hold to turn the boy to face him but as soon as he did the boys wiggling resumed so rapidly that he almost dropped the child. That could have been the point. His brows narrowed and he slowly sat the child onto the floor hearing a squeal of glee erupt from the boy's mouth making Fugaku reluctantly smile.

Fugaku kneeled down to the child level and said, "Grandfather's going to show you a little trick."


	15. Bitter Bargains

**_Fifteen: Bitter Bargains  
_**

**_Rating: T_**

**_Author: Juniper11_**

**_Pairing: ItaSakuSasu_**

**_Genre: Family/Romance/Drama_**

* * *

Sasuke was tired. It was something that most people would find understandable after the S-Class Mission that he and Naruto had just returned home from and under normal circumstances he would feel exhilarated. The rush he got from successfully completing missions was almost like a drug.

That had done him no good while he was gone.

All he could think about was Sakura. Was she okay? Was she getting along with her father? Was Raiden okay? The questions plagued him continuously but he supposed that was the change in life that he'd have to adjust to now that he was a married man and father.

Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong or about to go wrong. So that was why he ditched Naruto and headed home. Not even hearing the idiot's yell of, "Hey!" when Sasuke left him to make the report to the Hokage alone.

Sasuke stopped outside his home and took in the stillness of it and didn't know what to think. It was like the whole world was holding its breath. Sasuke slowly, cautiously opened the door to his home. His keen ears heard Sakura's low voice speaking to someone he didn't immediately recognize. He approached the room to find her sitting with a woman whose hair was white as snow. He initially wondered was this some relative of Kakashi's before remembering they were the only family the Copy Ninja had—which definitely wasn't a good a thing.

Sakura's eyes raised and when they alighted on him she half jumped out of her seat, her joy was so great.

It did wondrous things to his ego.

"Sasuke!" Sakura said then composed herself and tried to subdue herself and act like a proper 'Uchiha' wife causing Sasuke to scowl. She noted said scowl with a slight smile before moving to him and wrapping her arms around him regardless as to whether or not they had an audience. She placed a kiss on his cheek and said, "I'm glad you're home."

Some of the uneasiness that he had been carrying on his shoulders eased at her words. "Who is this?" Sasuke murmured lowly but Sakura pulled out of his arms that had somehow wound themselves around her and pushed him towards their bedroom with a slap on the ass and said, "Go shower and change. I'll get you something to eat, and _then _you can meet our guest."

"Where's Raiden?"

He called out as he strutted away. He loved it when Sakura smacked his ass.

"He's with my father."

Sasuke stiffened.

:::

Sakura thought Sasuke had either the best or the worst timing in the world. She was secretly thrilled he was home. But what woman wouldn't be?

She currently found herself in a position that she never thought she would. She had come home with Raiden to find a woman on her doorstep. She didn't recognize her as someone from the village. When Saku it took a closer look at her the headband she wore revealed that she was from snow country.

"May I help you?" Sakura inquired of the woman who in turn smiled. It immediately put Sakura on guard. She was well aware of people putting on airs of innocence but in reality are sheep in wolves' clothing. She had, after all, married into the Uchiha Clan.

"Yes, I'm looking for Sakura Uchiha."

Sakura, very aware that she held her son in her arms, asked cautiously, "May I ask why?"

"Your father in law invited me here as a potential bride for your brother in law. I was hoping I could ask you a few questions about him."

"Why would you want to ask me anything?" her words sounded defensive even to her own ears. Logically speaking she knew that this woman could not know of her past relationship with Itachi, but life in general had her overreacting nowadays.

"Well, you married his brother. I was hoping you had a few tips for and how to get to know him better."

Sakura could see no deception in her eyes. She would have turned her away regardless if her father had not opened the door at that very moment.

"Sakura you're home." His hand turned in the direction of her unexpected guest and inquired, "You have company?"

Sakura could see the confusion for her would-be guest's face. Her father was, indeed, an older man but he looked very good for his age. However, that did not mean he looked well enough to be Itachi's younger brother.

"Dad, would you mind taking Raiden for a walk?"

"Didn't you just take him on a walk?" Sakura came close to smacking herself. Her aim to discreetly keep her son out of harm's way was completely ruined. "Yes but now he needs some grandfather time."

"More like you need some girl time." Sakura's father smirked before taking Raiden out of her arms. "We'll see you ladies later." Sakura watched for a moment or two while they walked away before turning an inviting her guest inside.

"Forgive me for being rude. My name is Mari."

"It's fine. If you hadn't guessed, I am Sakura." Sakura took Mari to their living room and offered her tea which Mari politely refused. After they were settled, Sakura realized that her mind was flooded with questions that she wasn't sure she had any right to ask. It was a morbid curiosity and she was certain it would be best if she didn't indulge in it. Although, she wasn't certain she would have a choice.

"So…what did you want to know?"

"Itachi interests me, but he has this wall built up around him. I want to know how to get through."

Sakura shifted uneasily. "Why would you come to me?"

"Well, I have it on good authority that Uchiha men are a lot alike. Since you landed the younger brother I was hoping you had some tips on claiming the older."

Sakura's smile felt brittle to her face. Never in a million years had she expected to be put in such an uncomfortable situation.

"I'm not sure that I'm the right person for the job. Itachi values his privacy and it would be wrong of me to encroach upon that."

"But he's in love with someone else!"

Sakura's eyes grew large at Mari's pronouncement. She couldn't help but remember Itachi's words.

_Because I don't want to see you happy with him._

"He's not going to let me in because of this other woman. I don't know what happened between the two of them or whether or not they're together—"

"They're not."

"You know her?" Mari said eagerly and Sakura cursed herself for her blunder. For some reason Mari seemed so easy to talk to that, the words just somehow slipped out. Sakura shifted uneasily and remembered that she hadn't prepared Sasuke's dinner. She rose to her feet. "Tell me about her, maybe I can figure out some way to help him get over her. Itachi is not the first man I've met at one of these marriage meetings but he's is the first decent one. I want to see if we can make this work. If you can help me, help him get over her then—"

"I have to prepare something to eat for my husband."

"Sakura please!"

"I'm sorry. All I can say is that they're not together, they will never be together. Nothing else is important. Please see your way out."

:::

It was the most uncomfortable meal he had ever had in his life. The first problem being his son was missing the second was that his wife hadn't opened her mouth to say a word to him the entire meal. The dread that he had been feeling before suddenly increased to a point where he couldn't even eat. He had no choice but to say something…but he supposed even if he had a choice he wouldn't allow whatever was bothering Sakura to continue.

"What is it Sakura? Who was she?"

Sakura hesitated for a brief second and then replied, "Her name is Mari. She's one of Itachi's prospective brides."

They both knew that Sasuke's father was determined to do whatever it took to get Itachi married. Women had come from all over—even from nations they weren't exactly on peaceful terms with for the opportunity . Every woman wanted a piece of Itachi. He'd never understand what they saw in him.

Sasuke stared at Sakura intently. To a person who knew of Sakura's past and not much more they would probably say that Sakura was uneasy about the thought of Itachi getting married, but Sasuke knew there was more to it than that.

"What did she say?"

"She asked me for tips in order to get closer to Itachi."

"Aah." Sasuke said, "She made you uncomfortable."

"She did."

"Why is that?" Sasuke thought on the conversation that he had a few weeks ago with his mother about whether or not Sakura wished she had chosen Itachi. He knew now that he had been foolish to even had the thought. Sakura loved him. Therefore, that meant that something else had to be bothering her.

"It's just weird. What sense does it make for me to play matchmaker for Itachi? Doesn't it seem like some convoluted plot?"

"Maybe…or maybe you're making too much out of this." Their eyes connected and understanding passed between the two.

"Do you think so?"

"Well, you are his sister in law. Her coming to you makes sense. After all, don't you want to see Itachi happy?"

"Well, yes."

"Do you like the woman?" Sakura shrugged.

"She seems decent enough. Smart at least..." Sakura said realizing that either Itachi had told her that he was in love with someone or she had been smart enough to figure it out. It was probably the latter. Itachi wouldn't reveal to anyone his feelings willingly. A smart woman would be good for Itachi since the man couldn't stand stupidity.

"Then give her a tip or two. What harm will it do?"

"Famous last words Sasuke." Sasuke only laughed.

:::

Fugaku wasn't surprised when Ren Haruno strolled into his office without permission. He was just that type of man and getting upset about it would only please him. So Fugaku said nothing merely looked at the man with a raised brow.

On the other hand, he _was_ surprised to see him holding his grandson with him. Fugaku knew he definitely didn't like it.

"To what do I owe the…pleasure?" Fugaku inquired when it seemed that Haruno wouldn't say a word.

"I was wondering if you had discovered Raiden's little secret."

Raiden looked up at hearing his name called and grinned winningly. Haruno ruffled the boy's dark hair.

"And if I have?"

"I was wondering what you planned on doing about it." Fugaku said nothing but he didn't need to since Haruno continued. "You and I both know that this child is not your youngest son's. " Fugaku was unable to hide the shock that colored his features. That was something that no one discussed. Taboo. The forbidden topic. Had Sakura told her father? Fugaku narrowed his eyes and decided it was time that he had a conversation with Sakura Uchiha.

"What of it?"

Ren chuckled. "Don't be coy. You know as well as I that my daughter was meant to be with your oldest son."

"Did she tell you that?" Fugaku asked suspiciously.

"She doesn't have to. I'm her father. I know these things."

A brittle smile crossed Fugaku's face. "Your daughter had the opportunity to marry my oldest son. If she regrets it now then it is too late."

"It's never too late. Where there is a will there is a way." Ren looked a Fugaku a shrewd looking covering his features. "Besides, the children those two bear will have astronomical talent. We would be remiss as parents if we let it go untapped."

Despite himself Fugaku couldn't help but be intrigued. A silence between the two men settled as the stared into each other's eyes sizing each other up. "What do you plan to do?"

"That depends…are you on board with whatever I plan?"

Fugaku hesitated for the briefest of seconds. He knew how much Sasuke loved that damned woman. Hell, he loved his own wife like that…but for the good of the clan sacrifices needed to be made. It was time Sasuke learned that.

"Yes."

"Good." Ren replied. "Just remember these things take time. I have to take…steps in order to ensure that things go smoothly and that my daughter doesn't suffer any backlash from the," Ren chuckled, "husband swap."

Fugaku's eyes narrowed.

:::

After dinner, Sakura set out to find Mari while Sasuke went in search of Raiden. He had told her he missed their little boy and was actually kind of pissed that he wasn't home when he got there. She really didn't know why he wasn't used to it by now.

It took her a while to find Mari. Her common sense took a while to kick in to tell her she'd probably be staying in the building where all delegates stayed. When she made it to the building she realized that she didn't know what floor or the room number she was staying in—and she really didn't think it was important enough to ask around for. She was about to wash her hands of the whole situation and leave when she heard a voice call out, "Sakura Uchiha?" Sakura turned her head and saw Mari Suzuki looking at her with a questioning look on her face. Her sudden appearance was extremely convenient and Sakura didn't know whether or not to believe relieved or annoyed. "Are you looking for me?"

Sakura frowned and said, "Actually I was. I came here and then realized that I didn't know your room number."

Mari smiled. "Shall I take you up then?" Sakura nodded. The walk to her room was a quiet one. The silence unnerved Sakura even though she had long given up the ways of useless chatter she wished for it right that second.

"I'm in sixty-six." Mari finally said pulling Sakura's mind to the situation at hand. Mari led her into her suite and gestured for her to have a seat which Sakura did. "So what brings you here?" There was a curious look on her face and Sakura figured it would be best to just get it all over with.

"I've thought about what you said and talked it over with my husband and he thought it might be a good idea to give you a tip or two about Itachi."

"Really?" Sakura nodded.

"So what did you want to know?"

"How do you catch the attention of an Uchiha?"

Sakura chuckled. "You don't. They're not the type of men that like women who throw themselves at them." An exasperated look crossed Mari's face and Sakura forced herself not to delve into full blown laughter. "You have to intrigue them some sort of way. With Sasuke…in our youth I sort of threw myself at him and he treated me as if I didn't exist but the second I decided to let go of my feelings for him and focus my time on becoming a better ninja…well…it was sort of hard to keep him away then."

"You played hard to get then?"

"Not exactly or maybe that was the case…anyway for a while I hated him, wanted nothing to do with him."

"Why?"

"Because I was under the impression that he wanted to date other people…it was a misunderstanding that caused us to part ways for a while but we eventually made our way back to each other."

"How alike are the brothers?"

Sakura hesitated for a brief second before saying, "If you look at the surface most people would say that they're a lot alike but Sasuke is more hot-blooded than Itachi. Itachi stays cool and calm in most situations."

"What about the way they love?"

Sakura shifted uncomfortably, "I really wouldn't—"

"Come on. You know about this woman he's in love with. Surely you can compare the way your husband loves to that of his brother?"

"I really don't think I should. I'm not exactly comfortable…"

"It's just the two of us. No one will ever find out we had this conversation if you don't want. I just…he's just so interesting. I've never met a man like him before. You know what I mean?"

She did and that was the problem.

Sakura smiled. "Really, Mari I don't understand how telling you about the way Itachi loves a woman will help you in any way."

"Then what _can _you tell me?"

"I can tell you not to force it. If Itachi wants you…he'll have you. Don't pressure him because in the end you'll regret it."

:::

Sasuke found Ren shortly after he exited the main house of the Uchiha. The man smiled when he saw him and the dread that Sasuke felt in the pit of his stomach deepen. He knew then, even though he had no tangible reason, that did he did not trust this man. He wanted him gone sooner rather than later.

Sasuke didn't hesitate to go and take Raiden out of his arms and the two men walked together silently before Sasuke asked, "When are you leaving?"

Ren chuckled, "Anxious to have the house back to yourselves?" Sasuke didn't reply. "Don't worry. I'll leave when the time is right. Sakura knows I always do."

Sasuke grit his teeth silently and thereafter forced himself to relax once Raiden noticed his tension and started to become fussy.

"You mean you leave when she needs you the most."

Ren said nothing for a moment before saying, "You're not right for her." Sasuke's eye twitched.

"Don't. You know nothing about my relationship with Sakura."

"Actually…I think I know plenty." Ren reached out and ruffled Raiden's hair lightly. "Don't I…little Itachi?"


	16. Bitter Machinations

Pairing: ItaSakuSasu

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Family/Drama; AU Non-Massacre

Chapter Title: Bitter Machinations

Sakura came home to find Sasuke in Raiden's bedroom. The boy was asleep in his arms. Sasuke stared down at his face with an expression that Sakura had never seen on him before. It made her nervous instantly and she immediately began thinking the worst. Was he ill? Had be been hurt?

He heard her enter the room and raised his head and met her gaze briefly before looking back down at Raiden. He raised the boy and laid him in his crib before walking out of the room. He grabbed Sakura's hand before he left and Sakura found herself being nearly dragged behind him.

Once they entered their bedroom Sasuke closed the door and looked into Sakura's eyes. Sakura didn't like the way Sasuke was looking at her. She could honestly say that in all the years she had known him he had never once given her such a look. She didn't know what it meant and she didn't want to know but she somehow had a feeling that she was about to find out.

"Sakura…did you tell your father about Itachi and Raiden?"

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. _This_ is what had been going through his mind? "What? I would never—" Sasuke raised a hand to silence her.

"I know. I had to ask to be absolutely certain." Sasuke collapsed onto their bed and threw an arm over his eyes as if to block out the world. "Sakura…he knows."

Sakura paled and found she could no longer stand. She moved to sit on the bed as well and found herself cupping her face in her hands. "How did he find out?"

"I don't know…but there's more." She didn't want to know more but she figured Sasuke knew that since he said, "It's time for you to stop burying your head in the sand where your father is concerned." Sasuke raised himself up on one arm and turned Sakura so that she faced him. She wanted to argue that she didn't do that but Sasuke knew her better than anyone—sometimes better than she even knew herself. She wasn't going to lie about an obvious truth.

"What is it?" Sakura asked, resignation laced in her tone.

"I did some digging on your father when he showed up in our lives. Sakura…there's no way that I can think of to tell you this except to be blunt. I'll just say that your father doesn't exist."

Sakura chuckled and then outright laughed. "He doesn't exist? Then who, pray tell, is the man in our home?" She would have kept laughing if Sasuke had showed even a hint of amusement but she saw absolutely none on his face. Not a single quirk of the lips that she had come to associate with Sasuke's amusement. Fear gripped her heart. "Sasuke…."  
"There is no record of a Haruno Ren ever being a part of the Village Hidden of the Leaves."

"That can't be right. My father was born here. Maybe when there was an attack on the village—"

"Sakura, there is a way to trace every person of Konoha whether it be through a clan name, medical records, or simply people who know you there is evidence that a person belongs to this village. This is not the case for your Father."

"My mother—"

"Probably knew that he wasn't a villager. That's why she wasn't forthcoming on information about him. Subconsciously you may have even known it yourself. That's why you never questioned him or your mother too closely." The implications weren't lost of Sakura. She knew that this was a bad situation that she had maneuvered herself into. Ninja thrived on information but somehow she had let her emotions regarding her father get the best of her. She loved him but she feared him like no other. She had adopted the whole _'Ask me no questions I tell you no lies' _persona and she was ashamed of it.

Sakura ran her hand through her hair and glanced down at the ground. She suddenly wished that they hadn't left Raiden's room. She was feeling threatened and when she was threatened she somehow felt that threat extended to her son. She wanted to see him to know that he was okay. However, that wasn't possible. She had to stay and play out this conversation with her husband.

"Are you saying he's a threat to the village?" Sasuke paused briefly hearing the note of real fear in her voice. He reached out and took her hand squeezing it lightly. She relaxed but only marginally but that would have to do.

"I wouldn't know if he's a threat to the village or not. He's never exhibited any hostilities as far as I know. However, I do believe he is a threat to _us._" Sakura frowned wondering what would give Sasuke the impression that her father would do anything to hurt their relationship. He hadn't shown Sasuke a hint of animosity nor had he hinted to her that he didn't like him. Was Sasuke hiding something from her?

"What has he done?"

"Sakura if you're looking for me to pinpoint a single thing then I can't. All I can say is that I don't want him in our home. I have a gut feeling and those are rarely wrong with me so he has to go."

"But—" Sasuke waved off her words causing Sakura to narrow her eyes briefly in irritation at being cut off.

"There is no room for negotiation on this. I understand that he is your father but I will not let him come between us. I will not let _anyone_ come between us."

"…you sound obsessive."

"Do you really give a damn?"

Sakura shrugged. She didn't but she wouldn't give the pleasure of admitting it out loud. "We'll talk to him tomorrow." Sasuke grunted.

:::

Morning came all too soon for Sakura. She had barely slept the previous night. All she could think about was in the morning she was going to confront her problem. In a way she was sort of glad that they would be asking her father to leave. She really didn't know what to think about the fact that he had stayed as long as he had. She wasn't foolish enough to believe he had some deep seated affection for her.

Although maybe he stayed as long as he had because of Raiden. Maybe he always wanted a son but in the end all he got was her. Her mother had never hinted that was the case yet somehow she always felt that he found her lacking in some way.

"Sakura." She blinked and realized that Sasuke was giving her an odd look.

"Yes?"

"Were you planning on getting out of bed anytime soon?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and sat up and then threw a pillow at Sasuke when she heard him mutter, 'Lazy' under his breath. He caught the pillow with ease tossing it back on the bed with a flick of his wrist. Sakura stuck her tongue out at him causing him to tell her better uses for her tongue. She blushed and quickly changed the subject before they ended up having a little morning delight.

"Have you heard my father moving about?" There was nothing like talking about a parent that could kill the mood. Sasuke's face darkened.

"He's in the kitchen."

"Are we going to talk to him now or later?"

"The sooner the better."

Sakura rose to her feet and said, "Then let's do this now. I don't want to think about it all day." Sasuke gave her an indecipherable look but nodded and they both moved to the kitchen.

He was drinking tea and suddenly Sakura found herself thrown back to her childhood. She could see her mother in her mind's eye bustling about the kitchen making breakfast because her father had come home. Her father would be sitting at the table casually sitting at the table sipping tea occasionally writing some kind of notes on a piece of paper. His head would raise and his dark hair would fall back revealing his piercing eyes. They'd scan her over from head to toe and she'd stand straight and tall waiting for his approval.

He'd nod his head slightly and she'd move forward to greet him.

"Good morning, Father."

Sakura blinked. The words came out of her mouth before she could control them.

"Good morning, daughter," came his customary reply. "Did you rest well?"

"I did."

"Good. You took your time waking up this morning. I needed to talk to you." Sakura flinched and glanced at Sasuke who took a step toward him but Sakura shook her head. They could wait until she heard her father out before they told him to take his leave.

Sakura moved to the table and sat across from Ren. She folded her hands on the table and asked, "What was it that you needed to speak to me about?"

"I'm leaving."

Sakura blinked stunned. Of all the thing he could have said that was the last thing she expected to hear. A quick glance at Sasuke told her he was equally surprised. Sasuke took the opportunity to say, "I thought you were settling in the village."

Ren slowly turned to Sasuke. Sasuke noted that he was careful not to show Sakura the expression on his face that was meant only for him. Had he been a normal man he would have been scared but Sasuke had seen and survived worst than what this man could ever do so he gazed back at his father-in-law steadily.

"I do have plans to settle in the village. However, something has come up. I have business to take care of before I can fully settle in the village as I intend to."

Something in his wording left Sasuke feeling unsettled. Sakura, on the other hand, was feeling something completely different. Her mind told her that she had somehow managed to avoid an awkward confrontation and that she should be glad and yet in those seconds she felt like a little girl who was losing her Daddy all over it. She hated it.

"When will you return?" Sakura asked drawing her father's attention back to her. He didn't reply. Instead he smiled at her and Sakura felt tears spring to her eyes. Tears that would have fallen if she hadn't heard a slow, lazy voice drawl, "What's for breakfast?"

Sakura turned her head to see Kakashi standing in her kitchen looking one hundred percent serious about getting the answer to his question. She heard Sasuke mutter, "Freeloader." She laughed completely missing the frown on her father's face.

:::

Hatake Kakashi was by no means as oblivious as people thought he was. He knew immediately that something was wrong with Sakura when he walked into the kitchen where it was apparent that her and Sasuke were having a private conversation with her father. Her whole demeanor suggested something was wrong and a glance at Sasuke confirmed it. It was one of the few times that Kakashi could recall that the boy looked happy to see him—even if he did make unnecessary remarks regarding his welcome status in their home.

Still, his comments served to relax Sakura and he had to admit that his plan had went off without a hitch. He immediately thereafter moved to his chair and sat down and looked at Sakura expectantly. She rose to her feet with a laugh and began preparing breakfast.

"You don't live here." Sasuke spat.

"I don't exactly understand your point."

"You can't just barge in-"

"I have a key. I didn't barge in."

"How the hell did you get a key?!"

Kakashi blinked innocently and was saved from replying when Mikoto walked into the kitchen with her arms full of Raiden who was being rather fussy.

"Sasuke, I think he's hungry. Be a dear and whip him up something for me." Mikoto bounced the boy on her hip who was torn between being angry and amused at the motion. "Hurry up Sasuke."

"Where do you people keep coming from?"

"We spring forth from the abundance of love in your heart." Kakashi said wryly.

"I don't know why the two of you just don't move in." Sasuke grossed.

"Is that an invitation?" Kakashi and Mikoto said simultaneously.

"No!" Sakura and Sasuke replied back causing everyone to laugh.

:::

"What's going on?" Kakashi asked as soon as the opportunity presented itself to speak to Sakura alone. She shrugged her shoulders and continued cleaning up after breakfast before saying, "My father is leaving."

"Is that a good or a bad thing?"

"It's..." Her words trailed off and she stared into space for a while as if pondering her answer.

"Is it making you uncomfortable—talking about this with me?"

"Don't be silly. I'm just sort of confused about how I'm feeling right now. So much has happened lately."

"Like?"

"I met a woman by the name of Suzuki Mari. She's from Snow Country."

"And?"

"She's here to marry Itachi—or at least that's Fugaku's plan anyway."

Kakashi was silent for a moment noting that she wasn't quite ready to talk about her father to him. Admittedly, he was a little hurt by it but he understood it. He had been trying to give them some space in hopes that maybe they could work a few things out between them. It had been difficult giving Sakura that space, sharing her with the man who had a space in his heart that he sort of felt should actually be his.

Maybe it was time for him to get married and start his own family. Sasuke was constantly asking him to go away anyway. Maybe he should leave them alone and date...

Kakashi mentally shook himself. Now was not the time for such thoughts. Sakura needed him and so he would be there for her.

"Are you jealous?" Sakura's head whipped towards Kakashi and stared at him stunned. "It's not that far fetched Sakura. His attention has been focused on nothing but you and Raiden for some time now. If he's considering moving on you might feel a little slighted by that-even if it isn't exactly rational."

Sakura pondered his words. Truthfully speaking she didn't delve to deep into the feelings she once had for Itachi. It didn't seem like the wisest course of action. It was something to be buried in the back of the closet with the rest of her skeletons. Still, she could honestly say that she cared about Itachi and she did want him to be happy. She just didn't want to be any part of making that a reality. It just was wrong in so many ways.

"It's not that I'm...jealous."

"Oh, then what is it?"

"She asked for advice in order to get Itachi's attention." Kakashi was silent for a moment or two before his laughter erupted in the room. Sakura frowned and put her hands on her hips. "It's not funny!"

"Yes it is." Kakashi gasped out. Sakura walked over to Kakashi and punched him in the arm. He grimaced but didn't stop laughing. "Come on Sakura you've got to see the humor in all this. It's like one of those dramas they show on TV."

"You know a lot about those dramas don't you?" She meant it to be insulting but of course Kakashi wouldn't take it that way.

"My favorite is _To the Beautiful You." _Sakura rolled her eyes. "So what did you do? Did you help her out?"

"A bit. I couldn't do much because the whole thing felt so _weird _plus Itachi would kill me if he found out."

"Sakura, it's too late for that. He's going to find out."

"No he's not."

"Don't be naïve. You know Itachi finds out everything. He's eventually going to confront you about this. You should be prepared."

Sakura groaned. "Why is it always one thing after another?"

Kakashi shrugged. "That's life."

"Life sucks."

"Huge hairy ape balls."

Sakura and Kakashi laughed releasing a lot of the tension between them. She felt a lot more relaxed now and now she was ready to tell Kakashi what was really bothering her. Her face turned somber as her eyes locked at her surrogate father.

"My father is leaving."

Sakura would never know how hard it was for Kakashi to not smile at her words. It took a Herculean effort was somehow Kakashi managed it. He didn't like that man. Something about him raised the hairs on the back of his neck. It was something that he couldn't ignore for much longer no matter how much he cared for Sakura.

"Oh?"

"Sasuke and I were going to tell him he had to leave this morning but he sort of beat us to it." Sakura fell silent. "You know Dad," Sakura didn't notice the slight smile on his face at her using the title. He didn't think she had called him that once since her father had returned. "For once I'd like to be the one to walk away from him. To push him out of my life. I want him to know what it feels like, but I never get the chance. I'm always the one watching his back fade into the distance. Now I find that I feel the way I always do when he ups and leaves—like this lost little girl."

"You've dealt with this before Sakura. That isn't to say that I have issue with you griping but I guess what I'm really asking is what is it that's _really_ bothering you. You're dancing around the issue. Until you really talk about it you're going to work yourself up about it. So just tell me what it is."

Sakura's lip curled upwards in a slight sneer. She hated that she was so transparent sometimes. "I feel like I should tell you but I worry that I shouldn't."

"Why?"

"Because I feel like this conversation will without a doubt tell me who I'm more loyal to. You or my father."

Kakashi blinked stunned. "Sakura-"

"No. Don't say anything. I know what you're going to say. You're not trying to come between me and my father. I know that. That's not the sort of thing you'd ever do. It's just..." Sakura sighed and decided to just tell him. "Sasuke doesn't think my father has any ties to this village."

Kakashi tensed. He wanted to jump up from the table and immediately find Sasuke to discuss his suspicions since they seemed to share them. Something needed to be done about this at once yet something and Sakura's eyes held him to his seat. So he calmly ask for clarification. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I suspect his loyalties to the Leaf."

"Sakura your father is a civilian. Do you have any proof that he's been disloyal?"

"No, I don't. It's just a gut feeling or maybe it's more than that. I have a few memories of my childhood that scare me."

"You've never told me that before."

"I know. That's because those memories only surface when my father is around and since that's not exactly often..."

"I see. So what exactly do you want to do?"

"I want to know. I need to know."

"Then ask Sakura. It's as simple as that. You'll never know anything if you don't. You can't live not knowing. Go while you have the chance. I'm here if you need me."

Sakura nodded before reaching out to squeeze his hand slightly. "Thanks."

In the meantime Kakashi decided it was time he had a little talk with his former student.

:::

Sakura went to her father's room to help him pack his belongings. He hadn't requested her help but he also hadn't thrown her out. She took that as a sign of encouragement. Still, he said nothing the entire time which made asking the questions she wanted all the more awkward.

"Father..."

"..." Sakura bit her bottom lip and her eyes flashed with irritation since he didn't have the decency to acknowledge her. How could she have such a jerk for a father?

Sakura sighed and pushed her anger back. Anger, she well knew, would get her nowhere with this man. "What is it that you do for a living?" Ren paused and looked at her. His brow raised slightly as if he were surprised she ever asked the question in the first place.

"Your mother asked me that question once. I believe she lived to regret asking. Will you?" There was a challenge in his voice that Sakura found she couldn't ignore.

"It's not a matter of regret. It's about knowledge. Knowledge is power."

"And power corrupts." Ren replied with a smirk. "Is my daughter corruptible?"

Sakura hesitated at the question. She didn't know whether or not it was rhetorical so she ignored it especially since the question somehow seemed to be two in one. "Father I need to know whether or not you are a danger to this village."

Ren chuckled. "If I were, do you honestly believe I'd be stupid enough to come right out and say it?"

"No, yet I had hoped for truth between us. I am your daughter."

Ren's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You are and yet sometimes you forget that don't you?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Come now. You want truth between us and yet you litter yourself in lies. I'm not a fool. I see the affection you have for the famed Copy Ninja." Something in the way he referred to Kakashi sent off alarm bells in Sakura's head. Her gut initially told her he was a threat to the village now it was saying he was a threat to Kakashi. Sakura, who had been sitting on Ren's bed, jumped to her feet ready for battle.

"That affection could have rightly been yours had you stayed in my life for more than a day or two every three years!"

"You sound bitter."

"And you sound amused."

Ren really did laugh then and Sakura felt her anger mount in response.

"You really are childish. You have placed all this blame at my feet. Have you never once thought that there was a reason why I was hardly ever around?"

"Is there a reason or are you just playing word games?"

"Mmm...a little of both perhaps."

Sakura growled in frustration. She turned to leave the room but before she could he said, "Have you ever thought that your mother didn't want me to be a part of your life?" Sakura whirled around.

"Don't you dare blame your actions on Mom when she isn't here to defend herself!"

"Would you like for her to come back from the dead and answer your questions?"

"You go too far."

"Do I? Then how far would you go for answers? Where would you draw the line? Where would you decide to bury your head in the sand? Because at some point everyone does. What is my daughter's breaking point?"

Sakura pursed her lips together tightly. She wanted to strike him but somehow knew that wouldn't end well. They waged a silent war that Sakura was surprised that she won.

"I don't 'make a living' Sakura. That would make me sound far too ordinary. I pursue a goal. Everything else falls in place behind that goal."

"What is your goal?"

Haruno Ren smiled at this daughter and laughingly said, "Eternity."

:::

Haruno Ren stood over his grandson's crib looking down at the boy who paid him little attention. It didn't bother him in the least. He liked that the boy had focus. A shift in the shadows alerted Ren that he wasn't alone. His eyes darted to the corner of the room where his visitor stood.

"You're no longer needed. Sakura will take care of things for me here."

"She's weak. In the end she will not be able to do what needs to be done."

"No. She won't, but I don't need her for the end. I need her for the beginning."

"I can accomplish it all on my own."

Ren chuckled. "This is why you are not needed. You lack intelligence—which Sakura has in abundance. I will proceed as planned with Sakura. She has my intelligence and when you combine that with the power of the Uchiha..." Ren reached down and patted Raiden on the head. "You get perfection."

The visitor's eyes narrowed dangerously.


	17. Bitter Rendezvous

**Chapter Title: Bitter Rendezvous  
**

**Author: Juniper11**

**Pairing: SasuSakuIta**

**Genre: AU Non-massacre, Family/Romance/Hurt/Comfort**

**A/N: One more chapter and Part II will be complete.**

* * *

Several days after Ren's departure Kakashi found Sasuke on the training grounds with Naruto. To an outsider it looked like they were trying to kill each other. To Kakashi...it looked like they were trying to kill each other—or more like it looked like Sasuke was trying to kill Naruto and Naruto was just being Naruto.

He wondered briefly if he should interrupt the fight since he had a feeling that in Sasuke's mind he wasn't actually fighting Naruto. He was fighting Haruno Ren. Kakashi sighed. He wished he had someone he could fight and pretend was that man. The closest he had was Gai and there was no way he could mistake that man for _anyone._

Still, Naruto was holding his own and he wasn't completely inconsiderate. He knew that Sasuke needed to work out his frustrations so he would wait until they were done. In the meantime Kakashi pulled out his favorite reading material.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed before Naruto acknowledged his presence and came over his way with Sasuke trailing slowly behind him. They didn't look the least bit tired.

Ah, the glories of youth.

"Kakashi-sensei! You've come to spar with us?"

"Ah, no." He locked eyes with Sasuke. "I've actually come to have a little chat with Sasuke. Do you mind?"

Naruto looked back and forth between the two of them taking note of the tension between them and asked the very obvious question. "It's about Sakura, isn't it?"

Neither man said anything in response. "You know, the two of you aren't the only ones who care about Sakura. She's my teammate too. If there's anything going on that she may need help with the two of you need to tell me."

Kakashi agreed with his reasoning to a certain extent. There were things that he felt like Naruto needed to know about Sakura just in case anything should happen to either of them. However, there were things that he didn't need to know. He looked at Sasuke allowing the younger man to make the decision about what would be revealed and what wouldn't about his household. He briefly wondered how much he would tell Naruto since full disclosure should only be to a select few. They couldn't take the chance of the Uchiha clan getting wind of Raiden's background.

"Let's go somewhere private." Sasuke looked at Kakashi who simply nodded his head and led them to his home. There was nothing unusual about seeing the three of them together. However, it was unusual to see the three of them looking so grim—especially Naruto. People on the streets gave them wide berth since that typically meant someone was about to die and no one wanted to be caught in the crossfire.

They made it there in relatively short time. The second they entered Sasuke made himself at home like the good little hypocrite he was. Kakashi didn't say anything about the way that Sasuke put his feet up on his coffee table and reclined on his couch. However, payback would be a bitch.

"So what is it?" Naruto asked unable to be patient any longer. Kakashi was surprised that he managed to maintain his silence for as long as he had. Although it was possible that Naruto had sensed just how important secrecy was about this matter and decided to use the little bit of discretion that he had.

Sasuke stared at his long time friend as if he had eaten something sour. That's how he normally looked to most people but somehow this was worse.

"Raiden...is not my biological son."

Kakashi didn't think he had even seen Naruto go still in a moment that had nothing to do with battle and training. It was a little disturbing to see Sasuke's news have such an effect on him. And when Naruto decided to speak his voice came out calm and decidedly creepy.

"Who's son is he?"

"That's irrelevant."

Naruto looked like he was about to argue but in a moment of vast intelligence he changed his mind and rose to his feet. "Don't tell me. I'll just ask Sakura."

"Sit down Naruto." Kakashi said and turned to Sasuke and raised a brow. Sasuke's face heated up. Kakashi didn't know whether or not it was from anger or embarrassment but he was going with the former given they were dealing with Naruto.

"Raiden is Itachi's son."

A blank looked crossed Naruto's face before he finally said, "But the only Itachi I know is your bro-" Naruto's eyes grew large. He had no idea that Itachi and Sakura even knew they were on the same planet let alone-

"So now you know why we didn't tell you. This is something that no one outside of us can _ever _know." Kakashi said. "Sasuke's clan will not deal well with the fact that Sasuke has taken the rightful heir away from his place so please Naruto, _please_ using discretion with this information."

Naruto raised his hands as if to ward them off. "Okay. Okay. I understand. But Raiden's been around for a while now. What does that have to do with what's going on with Sakura now?"

Sasuke's next words shocked Kakashi so much so that he couldn't hide the emotion on his face. It wasn't something that Sakura had mentioned to him. He didn't think she deliberately hid it since she had a lot going on but he still wished he had known since Sasuke's news only served to heighten his anxiety.

"Sakura's father knows that Raiden isn't my son and his loyalty to the Village is not known."

Kakashi wanted to walk out that second and hunt the man down and threaten his life if he didn't maintain Sakura's secret and after that he was going to find Sakura and shake some sense into her. Why on earth would she tell her father this information? Did she want that desperately to be close to her father?

Kakashi had to force himself to calm down. He knew he was jumping to conclusions, and that wasn't fair to Sakura.

"How did he find out? Did Sakura tell him? What is he going to do?" The questions shot out of Kakashi's mouth rapidly. He would have asked more if Sasuke hadn't given him a look that clearly said at least one of his questions shouldn't have come out of his mouth. Kakashi frowned.

"I don't know. No she didn't and that's anyone's guess. I do know that he doesn't approve of my relationship with Sakura."

"He told you that!" Naruto shouted ready to go after the man and show him exactly why Sakura and Sasuke were meant for each other and if that didn't work then he was ready to beat him senseless. He had long ago let go of his childhood feelings for Sakura and that was mainly because a blind man could see that somehow, someway, someday Sakura and Sasuke were going to be together. Any man foolish enough to get between them was bound to be hurt.

Naruto briefly wondered if that was true of Itachi.

"No, but he implied it."

"Why are you leery of his loyalties?" Kakashi questioned.

"Because he doesn't exist. There are no Konoha records proving that he is a citizen."

"But the village has been destroyed at least once in his lifetime. Maybe that has something to do with it." Naruto put out. "You can just accuse people with no proof Sasuke."

"I haven't accused anyone of anything, Naruto." Sasuke growled.

Kakashi raised a hand to forestall the oncoming fight. "You have to admit, though, Naruto, that it is suspicious. And we would be foolish to ignore this bit of information."

It was around this time that Naruto started to wish that he had met the man himself since it was obvious that Kakashi and Sasuke's hackles were raised about this guy. He wasn't really sure or not if Sasuke was being his usual paranoid self and Kakashi was feeding off of it because he hung around him too much or not. He needed to know and form his own opinion of the man. He had a feeling that his thoughts were critical to the situation since it seemed that Sasuke and Kakashi were a bit too close to it.

"Fine, but what do we do about it?"

Kakashi chose that moment to speak up. "You should have told me about this Sasuke. I would have had my nin-dogs trail him."

Sasuke scowled only having just thought of the idea. "He's gone now. There's nothing we really can do." Kakashi frowned not quite ready to give up yet.

"I'll send my dogs out anyway so they can see if they can pick up his trail. I'll let you guys know if I find anything."

Sasuke and Naruto nodded.

:::

"You love him a lot don't you?" Itachi looked at Mari who had attached herself to him once she stumbled across him on his walk with Raiden. His first thought in response to that was, 'He _is_ my son.' but that wasn't something he could exactly say so he tapped down the irritation that rose up.

Instead, he opted not to speak at all. He heard her sigh and silently hoped he had not picked up another stalker. The Yamanaka female was enough.

Mari turned and focused her attention on Raiden who was trying to squirm his way out of Itachi's arms causing Itachi to frown. It was the first time that he had ever done that before. In fact, it seemed as if he was trying to get to Mari.

"May I hold him?"

Itachi opened his mouth to say no for all the logical reasons. He didn't know this woman and if she was foolish enough to do something that harmed his son he would kill her-consequences be damned. However, it seemed that Raiden was determined to reach her and practically jumped out of his arms to get to her. Mari laughed and took the boy who, upon entering her arms, stared at her as if fascinated.

She was a lovely woman. Itachi couldn't help but admit that. The boy did have taste. Little did Itachi know that it wasn't how Mari looked that caught Raiden's attention. It was how she smelled.

"He's a handsome boy." Mari murmured and ran her fingers over his dark hair. She fussed over Raiden a few minutes more before handing him back to Itachi. She turned to leave but Itachi couldn't let her go yet since a question began burning in his mind since she took Raiden into her arms.

"When are you going back to Snow Country?" The question was rude, but Itachi was not one to beat around the bush nor was he once to mince words. For some reason looking at her reminded him of what he couldn't have and it pushed him to the point of anger and he was tired of being angry.

Mari turned and smiled at him winsomely. "I have hopes that the answer to the question will be never." She turned and walked away then with a sway to her hips that would catch any man's eye. Itachi turned and looked down at his son.

"It's looks like I've managed to find another stalker." Raiden gurgled and laughed.

It really wasn't funny at all.

:::

Fugaku Uchiha sat in his office and stared at nothing. He had no idea how long he had been sitting in silence but it had to be long enough that he had begun to worry the servants of the household. He could hear them pause outside of his door obviously wondering whether or not they should come in. None ever did and on a minute level it made him glad that the people in his home weren't stupid.

He was angry. Mostly he was angry at himself but he was angry with himself because he allowed himself to trust Haruno Ren. He didn't know why he expected results from some civilian—especially one that was related to Sakura Uchiha. Nothing good ever came from that girl's family...well maybe Raiden was the exception but that was only because of his Uchiha blood. The boy probably would've been worthless without it.

The man had left without so much as a word to him about what would be their next course of action and he was more than a little frustrated about it. Itachi was still moping about over _Sakura _and not paying Mari the least bit of attention. He had intended on sending the girl home. But the girl had begged him to trust her, to give her a chance to find a way into Itachi's heart. He personally didn't believe she could, but who was he to give a damn if she wanted to make a fool of herself?

He liked the girl, but he didn't like her enough sink on a ship with her.

"You look annoyed Fugaku." The voice penetrated his brain and a sliver of fear slid down Fugaku's spine. It wasn't even fear that his pride could deny. The man had appeared out of nowhere leading Fugaku to believe that Haruno Ren wasn't everything he appeared to be. "And now you look afraid." Ren chuckled. "Did I startle you?"

"What do you want? And I I don't remember giving you leave to call me by my first name."

"Keep talking like that and I'll begin to think you don't like me." Ren chuckled at Fugaku's face that clearly said that he didn't like him. "Aw, you thought I abandoned you didn't you?"

"Why are you even here? I was informed that you had left the village."

"It would be best to never believe a word you hear about me."

Finally, Fugaku had enough. "Who are you and what the hell do you want?"

"I told you before, Fugaku. I want what you want. Itachi and Sakura together like they were meant to be. I want grandchildren. Powerful grandchildren—and I want them soon."

"And what do you propose to do about the fact that your daughter is married to my other son? I seem to recall you mentioning some sort of 'husband swap'." Fugaku spat.

"All in due time Fugaku. Believe me, everything is falling into place perfectly."

"So what do you need me for? You seem to have everything planned out. Why even have this conversation with me at all?"

"Why indeed?" Ren murmured. "First and foremost I need you to get your wife back. If anyone will have any influence over Sakura it's your wife."

"You're wrong. Other than Sasuke the person who has the most influence on Sakura is Hatake."

A frightening face crossed Ren's features. A look so terrifying that Fugaku suddenly realized that maybe he had bitten off a little more than he could chew. Pride, though, wouldn't let him back down. He would set things straight between Itachi and Sakura even if it killed him.

Little did he know that Haruno Ren had been counting on his Uchiha pride to back himself into a nice neat corner.

"Yes, I've noticed this...fondness that my daughter has for the man. She always did have the tendency to be rather foolish with her affections." Ren was silent for a moment or two before he met Fugaku's eyes with steely resolve. "Don't worry. Hatake won't be a problem. Get your wife back and be quick about it. Once you do that I'll push things forward. After all, we need to get them back together as soon as possible."

And with those final words Haruno Ren disappeared. After his departure Fugaku sat staring into space a while longer before rising to his feet and heading towards the Police Force. It was time he learned all he could about Sakura's father. He didn't like being in the dark about anything.

:::

The sun was setting when Mikoto sensed his pretense. Her eyes narrowed on the slim form of her husband. He had lost weight since she left him although that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It reminded her much of when they first got together minus a few gray hairs. For some reason that thought left a bitter taste in her mouth.

She didn't know why he was coming to see her. She really wanted nothing to do with the man. How she spent years not realizing that he was bad news was beyond her. She never once thought that she was a stupid woman and maybe she wasn't. She was just a blind one.

"Why are you here Fugaku?" He was about to take a step onto her porch but she wasn't going to let him have the opportunity. "Or should I ask of what benefit am I to you?"

"You go too far Mikoto." His voice was worn, tired, and despite herself she found she was concerned about it. She didn't dare ask. It wouldn't do for him to think she cared-the manipulative jerk. "May I join you?"

She wanted to say no, but to be honest she was curious. If he was up to something it was best for her to know as soon as possible. When she didn't reply Fugaku stepped onto the porch and took a seat in the rocking chair beside her. She wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary. Just thinking to herself quietly. In actuality she was wondering what Hatake was doing and was about to go and be a little nosy but then she saw Fugaku.

He didn't say anything and Mikoto caught herself glancing out of the corner of her eye at him every few seconds. And still he said nothing.

Somehow Mikoto found herself enjoying the silent company. She didn't realize just how lonely she had been until he finally bid her farewell and left. She couldn't help but think that even when Fugaku was being kind he was still a cold bastard.


End file.
